Under New Management
by Polaris'05
Summary: Dark days are ahead for Hazzard County when Hughie Hogg takes over control. The Dukes will have something to say about that, of course, but even with the return of an old friend, they may have finally been outmatched. COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

_A/N: For the most part, you don't have to have read In a New York Minute, but it'd probably help to understand what's going on. Especially the prologue. And it's never too late to leave reviews, if you haven't read it yet! Hint hint, nudge nudge... Anyways, here's just a little something to get you started!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own, no profit. Just a bit of fun!_

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Prologue-

The girl sighed heavily as she sank down onto the leather sofa in her penthouse suite. She gazed around the apartment, taking everything in. The stylish furniture, the top of the line TV and stereo, and the exotic fish (which she had forgotten to give to someone to feed before she left a year ago, and which were now floating belly up and smelling decidedly awful) were all evidence of her obvious affluence.

"I should be perfectly happy here," she muttered to herself. "I'm home. I got to see America. So what the heck is wrong here?"

But she knew good and well what was wrong. In her chosen career, life could hardly be considered dull, but the idea of going back to work here at home was making her miserable. She had always refused to leave home, back when she was younger. Back when her father was still alive. As long as she had him, she had never had the slightest desire to get away from home. When he had died a year ago, a part of her had died as well. She had thought that escaping from the cold, luxurious life she had would help her escape the pain. And so, she had embarked on the cross country journey of a lifetime.

Now, a year later, she was home again. Now she was missing him more than ever. But she was also missing something else, something quite surprising. Through her year long journey to various towns and cities across America, she had kept thinking back to the very first stop she had made. It had been one of the smallest towns, and she had only stayed there for one day. It had been almost painful, watching those people whose family bonds were so strong it was like having her own father there all over again. And that was what was wrong. She, a Yankee born and raised, had left her heart in the southland.

As she sat in the lap of luxury on her leather furniture in the upscale apartment, she found herself with the irresistible longing to return to the tiny little southern town. The smallest glimpse of a smile played on her pretty face at the mere thought of the strange place. Of all the places she had been, that odd little town had been the most entertaining, had kept her on her toes the most, and had played on her desperate sense of adventure and restlessness that had shoved its way into her since the passing of her father. And besides… _he_ would still be there.

She let the idea that was growing in her mind tug gently at her heart. She closed her eyes as she could feel the ancient, nomadic need to wander, to get away, pull her as it had done so often over the past year. She hadn't stayed in one place for more than a week or two, and she knew eventually she would have to settle down again. But whether she was to do so here, in her hometown, was no longer as set as she had believed.

A year ago, she would have laughed at herself for even considering the notion of settling anywhere but here, and certainly for some tiny southern town that wasn't even on some maps. Could she really give up everything she had here for the life she could have instead? Opening her eyes suddenly, the girl came to a decision. There was one way to find out. She would just have to go back and see. She would go back, just for one more day. If the need to wander away dissipated, she would not return to New York.

Years ago, she wouldn't have even considered doing what she was about to do. Jumping to her feet decisively, the girl snatched up the phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang only twice before being picked up.

"Hello, sir, it's me again. No sir, I'm afraid I won't be back to work yet for quite some time….Yes, sir. I realize that, sir. When am I coming back?" She paused, wondering at her own daring. "Well, sir, I'll be honest. I may not be. That's what I'm going to find out right now. I'll check back in later to let you know." Slamming down the phone, the girl started heading for the door, but stopped as she reached the fish bowl. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the bowl, carried the fish to the bathroom, and flushed them down. Not bothering to wash out the bowl itself, she picked up her bags, which had yet to be unpacked, and left the apartment without a backwards glance.


	2. The Return of Hughie Hogg

_A/N: Hey y'all! So this is only my second attempt at a longer story type thing... so all I ask is that you be nice with the criticism, but do criticize. I really want to know what you think needs improving. Thanks, as always!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own. _**

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**Under New Management**

Chapter 1- The Return of Hughie Hogg

_Welcome, friends, to Hazzard County. If'n you ain't never been here before, let me just warn you now…ain't nothin' normal about anything that happens here. Take, for example, that car speedin' down the road. That there is the General Lee, and he belongs to the Duke boys, Bo and Luke Duke. And that li'l old car behind them? Well, that there belongs to Hughie Hogg, back in Hazzard. He means nothin' but trouble._

"Well, would ya look at that?" Bo said with a grin, glancing out the window behind them. "Luke, I do believe our good buddy Hughie is back in town!"

Luke swiveled around in the passenger seat of the General Lee. The tiny white car was zipping along behind them, apparently attempting to get around them, but failing horribly. Luke smirked.

"Sure is," he commented. "an' it looks like he's in a hurry to get somewhere. Dang fool thinks he can pass the General in that little bug of his."

"Ain't nobody gettin' around the General today, cousin," Bo said happily. "Cooter's really done good this time! That engine's purrin' along just beautiful."

"Well then whatcha playin' with him for?" Luke teased. "Open 'er up, let's show Hughie our dust!"

"10-4, cuz! Yeeeeehaaaaw!" Bo whooped. Flooring the gas pedal, the General Lee shot ahead, spitting fine dust in the air behind them. Within seconds, they had left Hughie Hogg far behind in a dusty cloud.

"Achoo!" Hughie sneezed as the car pulled to a halt, unable to see through the thick mass of dust and debris. He wiped at his eyes angrily, trying to clear away the dust. He wondered again at the practicality of driving a convertible down a dusty old dirt road. As the dust faded away, Hughie could see that the General Lee was long gone. He leaned up and smacked his driver in the back of the head.

"You idiot!" he yelled. "Now you done lost 'em!"

"What was I supposed to do, Boss?" the driver whined. "They got a better car than you do, I cain't help that!"

"Never mind!" Hughie spat disgustedly. "Just get us to the Boar's Nest. I'll deal with the Dukes later."

_Hmm… now I don't know about you, but I sure don't like the way ol' Hughie is grinnin' like that. Bo an' Luke better watch themselves._

The Boar's Nest, Hazzard's local honky-tonk bar, was bustling today, being the beginning of summer. Daisy Duke, Bo and Luke's cousin, was busy at work waitressing when Hughie came in.

"Hughie!" Daisy exclaimed in surprise as he slammed the door behind him in a foul temper. "What're _you_ doing back in Hazzard? Didn't Boss Hogg tell you that you ain't welcome here since your _last_ visit?"

"I ain't got time to talk to no Duke," Hughie said nastily, brushing past her without another word. Daisy raised her eyebrows and went back to work, not put out in the slightest over Hughie's rudeness.

"Rosco!" Hughie yelled grumpily storming into Boss Hogg's office. "Rosco, where are you? I know you're in here!"

A guilty face poked up from behind the desk where Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane had been raiding Boss Hogg's food stores. The look of guilt was quickly replaced by irritation at the sight of Hughie.

"Hughie Hogg!" Rosco snapped. "You ain't s'posed to be here! What're you doin'?"

"I just got a call from my Uncle Boss," Hughie answered, smirking. "It seems my dear uncle ruffled one too many of the federal government's feathers. Apparently, he's been sentenced to three months of community service in Atlanta."

_Now I know I ain't the only thinkin' that it's about time ol' Boss Hogg had to pay for some of the stuff he pulls. I figure it was bound to happen sooner or later, don't y'all?_

"Khee khee! Ain't it great?" Rosco chuckled. "I mean, uh, wait just a second! How did you know about that?"

"I told you! He called me. He said while he was away in Atlanta, I was gonna take care of things here for him." Hughie smiled sickeningly at Rosco, who turned a violent shade of purple.

"Now you wait just a cotton-pickin' minute!" he yelled. "Boss Hogg didn't say no such thing! He said…he said I could run things for that long!"

"Oh please, Rosco," Hughie snickered, patting the sheriff's arm condescendingly. "You didn't believe that, did ya? You really think Uncle Boss trusts _you _to run Hazzard for three months? Nah, he called me as soon as he could so I could get over here 'fore you screwed everything up for him."

"That's a bald-faced lie!" Rosco protested. "My little fat buddy wouldn't say somethin' like…" he trailed off slowly, his face falling as he realized that Boss Hogg had frequently said things like that to him.

Hughie smiled, seeing that he had won. Taking Rosco by the arm, he propelled him to the door.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Now get yourself out of _my_ office and do somethin' useful like takin' my car over to the garage for a tune up. Then you can start chasin' down them Duke boys, 'cause they ran me off the road not twenty minutes ago."

"But…but," Rosco complained as Hughie slammed the door in his face. "Oo! I'll show you, you little… you…" Shaking his fist at the door and muttering incoherently, Rosco stormed out of the Boar's Nest.

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Over at Cooter's garage, Bo and Luke were sipping beers and debating on how long it would get Hughie to get kicked out of Hazzard this time.

"I dunno, Luke," Bo said with a grin. "I'll bet ya he's gone by tomorrow."

"Now Bo, you ain't givin' Hughie enough credit," Luke argued, shaking his head. "The way he came struttin' into town, ya know he's gotta have some nasty little plan in mind. I give him three days."

"Cooter, how about you?" Bo called, leaning down to peek underneath the car that their friend was busy working on. Cooter rolled out from underneath it, wiping off his hands.

"Eh, I don't know, buddyro," he said with a smile as Bo grabbed a hand and helped him to his feet. "Y'all are forgettin', Boss Hogg ain't here to run 'im off, an' Rosco don't stand a chance against him all by hisself."

"Yeah, but how long can that business trip of Boss's possibly take?" Bo asked. Cooter smiled.

"From what I hear, ain't no business trip he's on. Word's out, that's just his story 'cause he don't want people to know he's been arrested."

"What?" Luke laughed. "Boss is in _jail_?"

"Naw, some kind of community service thing, I think," Cooter answered, scratching his head. "I don't know, but I heard he ain't gonna be back all summer."

"All summer?" Bo gasped. He turned to his cousin. "Now, Luke, what're we supposed to do all summer without Boss's dirty tricks to play with?"

"I'll tell ya what ya can do!"

Bo, Luke, and Cooter all jumped as another voice joined them. They spun around to see Rosco stomp angrily into the garage.

"Y'all can just freeze it right there, 'cause Hughie says ya done run him off the road this morning."

"What?" Bo protested. "We did not! Hughie couldn't even catch up to us!"

"Just hush, Bo!" Rosco snapped. "I don't wanna hear about Hughie Hogg. Now come on, let's go."

"Now wait just a second, Sheriff," Cooter said, coming to his friends' defense. "We all know Hughie's a dirty polecat. The Dukes' word is worth a whole lot more'n his."

"It don't matter none, Cooter, 'cause _Boss Hughie_ says to get the Dukes. So I got the Dukes. Now Bo, Luke –"

"Wait, wait…" Luke interrupted. "Boss Hughie?"

"Yes, Luke, _Boss Hughie_," Rosco spat the word like it tasted bad. "He's here 'cause Boss didn't _trust _me enough to take care of Hazzard while he's gone, so he sends that no-good, low-down, snotty-nosed little upstart to do it instead!"

"Well, geez, Rosco," Bo snickered. "Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel!"

Luke elbowed his cousin and exchanged a knowing glance with Cooter. "It don't seem fair, does it, Rosco?" he asked innocently. "A perfectly capable sheriff like you, takin' orders from the likes of Hughie?"

"Yeah, I'd tell him where to stuff it if I was you, Rosco," Cooter added. "Tell 'im you just couldn't find the boys an' maybe he should try it himself."

"Oo, khee khee," Rosco giggled, cheering up at the thought. "That would get 'im, wouldn't it? I _will _tell him to chase after them Duke boys hisself," he said suddenly, straightening up. "I don't have to take orders from the likes of him. I'm a perfectly capable sheriff, after all."

"You got it, Rosco," Luke smiled. He grabbed Bo's arm and jerked his head towards the door. Bo nodded and they both casually strolled over to the General before Rosco could change his mind.

Leaving Cooter to deal with the sheriff, Bo and Luke took off towards the farm to deliver the latest news to Uncle Jesse. When they had reached the safety of the dusty backroads, Bo turned to Luke.

"Well, whaddya think, cuz?" he asked with a smile. "Guess we ain't gonna have a quiet summer after all. Boss Hughie?"

"Yeah, don't feel quite right," Luke grinned back. "Hughie's even worse than Boss Hogg. We's just gonna have to watch our backs extra good now."

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Meanwhile, Hughie was busy making plans of his own. After pacing his new office for a while thinking everything through, he finally sat down to make a phone call.

"Vincent, it's me. Everything's goin' fine… give me two days to finish settin' up and get yourself up here." He paused momentarily, then continued. "Send the other three up tomorrow though. I have a little job for them to do before we get started. Some potential interference to be gotten out of the way."

_Y'all, I'm placin' bets that the 'potential interference' ol' Hughie's talkin' about answer to the name of Bo and Luke Duke. Don't sound too good for them good ol' boys, does it?_

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_A/N: I probably won't update for the rest of the week because I have exams (wish me luck!!) but after that, it'll hopefully be more regular. Of course, the more reviews I get, the more inclined I'll be to hurry it along! _


	3. Back in the Sky

_A/N: Well, I'm all done with my exams so I can start writing a bit more now. Now guys, I know there wasn't a whole lot to the prologue and the first chapter, but I think y'all can do a LITTLE better with the reviews. My heartfelt thanks to those of you who DID review, but it'd be nice to see a couple more. Help a sister out, huh? _

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the boys.

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Chapter 2 – Back in the Sky

"Ok, let's go over this one more time," Hughie said, pacing the office in the Boar's Nest. "Today we're gonna be settin' up the warehouse. I cain't have them Duke boys bustin' in on us, so you're gonna get 'em out of the way." He stopped pacing and turned to face the three men that were standing around the room. They had arrived earlier in the morning, according to Hughie's instructions to Haynes.

Hughie appraised them shrewdly as he spoke. Haynes had chosen well, he decided. They were sharp enough to do the job with cold-hearted efficiency, but not so sharp as to be a threat to his authority. They would follow his orders without question so long as he paid them what they were owed. That's where his Uncle Boss was always going wrong… the old fool wasn't willing to pay a little extra to see the job done right. If he would just quit trying to cheat his own help, he may have succeeded long ago in what Hughie would accomplish today.

"Now look," he continued. "Them Duke boys are good, so don't underestimate them. Just follow the plan an' they won't have a chance. Now, I'm gonna meet the shipment over at the warehouse in an hour. It ain't gonna take long to get set up, but I ain't takin' chances. You," he indicated one of the men. "are gonna be helpin' me at the warehouse. You other two are gonna wait up on Iron Mountain, and when the Dukes show up, you're gonna take care of 'em."

"How do you know they'll show up?" one of the men asked. The others nodded in agreement. Hughie sighed.

"Just trust me. I know them boys. And of course, dear cousin Daisy's gonna help out, too. She's gonna tell 'em that we've got us a smuggling operation runnin' out by Silver City. They'll go blazin' over to try an' stop me, like they always do, and you'll trap them out on the mountain where there ain't no one around to help 'em out."

One of the other men snickered. "An' the whole time, you an' me are gonna be unloadin' them drugs for distribution."

_So, that's what ol' Hughie's game is. I reckon even Boss Hogg wouldn't stoop to sellin' drugs. Folks, this is startin' to look real bad for Hazzard._

"That's right," Hughie said with a grin. "And by this time next week, we'll already be rollin' in the dough that comes out of it. Now you two go get in place," he snapped. "And you, we're gonna go bait them Dukes. Ain't no way they're gonna be able to stop me this time," he snickered evilly.

As Billy and Marv, the two men who had been selected to trap the Dukes, headed out the back door, Hughie sauntered casually into the barroom of the Boar's Nest with Jack, the remaining man.

With a practiced eye, Hughie quickly surveyed the large, rowdy crowd, seeking out a table. He spotted one that would do the trick…in a corner of the room so it would look like he was trying not to be overheard, but close enough to the bar so Daisy would have no problem listening in if he could get her suspicions aroused. Motioning to Jack, Hughie headed over to the table and sat down.

"Daisy!" he yelled. "Two beers, let's go!"

"Comin' right up, Hughie," Daisy said with a pleasant smile that she didn't mean in the slightest. "And who's your friend here? I ain't never seen him around here before," she observed as she set down two mugs on the table.

"Ain't none of your business," Hughie said, glaring at her. "You jus' get back to waitressin', that's what you're good for."

Daisy raised an eyebrow, but again refused to be angered by Hughie's rudeness. As she headed back to the bar, however, she turned back to watch them. She noticed with interest as Hughie glanced quickly around as though to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in to speak in a low voice with the stranger, who also kept scanning the room on the lookout for potential eavesdroppers.

"Scuse me, Tom," Daisy said quietly, squeezing by the bartender to stand as close as she could to the table where Hughie was sitting. "Act like you're talkin' to me, will ya sugar?"

The bartender shrugged and started chatting away while Daisy smiled and wiped off mugs. He didn't question the oddity of the order...he wasn't going to turn down a chance to talk to Daisy Duke, even if she _wasn't_ actually listening.

Giggling and nodding at odd intervals, Daisy edged as far over as she could without looking suspicious and blocked out the chatter from the rest of the bar so she could hear the conversation between Hughie and the stranger.

"-can't afford to be found out," Hughie was saying. "No one's gonna be lookin' over there, but we take no chances."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "That smugglin' operation is gonna bring in truckloads of money. Don't worry, Boss. Ain't no one gonna find the headquarters if it's way out in Silver City."

Daisy had heard enough. If she stood there for too long, Hughie might realize she had heard what he was saying. Nodding to Tom, who quickly wrapped up his one-sided conversation, she hurried out to the jeep. She had to tell her cousins what Hughie had going on.

As she left the building, Hughie smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Great goin', Jack," he said, clapping the other man on the back. "Them Dukes ain't gonna know what hit 'em." He pulled out his gold pocket watch and glanced at it. "Time we was headin' over to the warehouse to get set up. We'll give Daisy a minute to finish callin' Bo an' Luke and then we're leavin'."

Meanwhile, Daisy was trying to reach the two boys.

"Hey fellas," Daisy called softly into the CB, checking over her shoulder to make sure Hughie wasn't nearby. "Bo? Luke? This here is Daisy, are y'all there?"

"Yeah, Daisy, go ahead." Luke called back from the General Lee.

"Luke, you'll never believe what dirty trick Hughie has up his sleeve!" Daisy said. "I just overheard them talking all about their new smugglin' operation…"

_And so, Daisy filled Bo and Luke in on everythin' that Hughie had said, not realizin' that ol' Hughie had been countin' on her doin' exactly that. Man, I just plumb hate it when they use Daisy like that._

"Out by Silver City, huh?" Bo said, glaring out at the road ahead. "Leave it to Hughie! Cousin, I say we go check out this operation of his and see if there ain't somethin' we can do to stop it!"

"I'm with ya, cuz," Luke answered. He was angry too, but it didn't surprise him in the slightest. Anytime Hughie Hogg came to Hazzard, it meant trouble for everyone, especially the Duke family. "Thanks, honey," he said back to Daisy. "We're gonna go check it out."

Spinning the General around, Bo and Luke took off towards Silver City, on the most distant border of Hazzard County.

"Don't it strike you as strange?" Luke said suddenly after a few minutes of silence. Bo turned to look at him, waiting for his cousin to elaborate further.

"What?" he finally asked, seeing that Luke was lost in thought.

"Silver City." Luke answered with a frown. "Why go all the way out to Silver City for a smuggling operation? He's made himself Boss around here… he got hisself an entire county to hide out in, but he's runnin' things from all the way out by Silver City. That's on the farthest corner of Hazzard. What's he doin' it out there for?"

"Got me," Bo answered, not seeing much reason for concern. "Maybe he just don't want people like us stumblin' in on it."

"Maybe," Luke muttered. He sat back, losing himself in his thoughts again and trying to figure things out. Bo left him to it. His cousin was the smart one who came up with plans... he had never bothered to dispute that. If Luke thought hard and long enough, Bo believed he could solve the meaning of life.

They had been driving along for nearly half an hour, and were now deep up in the mountains. People rarely came by this way, usually coming to Silver City from the Atlanta side. Bo hadn't even seen another car in the last twenty miles. Luke came out of his thoughtful reverie as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye in the rearview.

"Looks like we got company," Bo noticed. "It's a blue sedan… I don' recognize it, do you?"

"Nope," Luke answered, frowning. "But I'd bet anythin' they's Hughie's boys."

"Don't matter," Bo said with a grin. "Ain't no way they're gonna catch the General! We'll lose 'em in no time!"

Bo pushed the accelerator all the way to the floorboard and hit the horn. General Lee roared forth as the tune Dixie ripped through the air. Luke grabbed on to whatever he could find as the General tore down the mountain road, scattering leaves behind them in small whirlwinds.

"Careful, Bo," he warned. "Don't forget, we don't know these roads like the ones closer to Hazzard. I'd rather have to fight 'em off than roll the General down the mountain."

"I know what I'm doin'," Bo answered, concentrating on the road ahead.

Luke watched wide-eyed as the road leveled out to reveal a wide creek bed through which the mountain stream went splashing fast and cold. Two rotting wooden posts marked where a manner of crossing used to stand.

"Bo!" Luke yelled. "Ain't no bridge!"

"Don't need one!" Bo shouted back. "Hold on!"

Luke squeezed his eyes tightly shut, afraid to watch. He could feel the General suddenly leave solid land behind and hang suspended in the air as it soared gracefully across the water under Bo's skillful hand.

"YEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAW!" Bo yelled as General Lee came crashing back down to earth with a jolt that rattled the entire car. Luke opened his eyes as the General's back wheels spun wildly on the dusty road and finally found their footing again. He turned to watch as their pursuers also managed to successfully fly their own car across the stream.

"Looks like they made it too," he commented. "They sure are in a hurry to catch up with us."

Bo nodded and glanced in the rearview. The mirror was filled with the image of the blue sedan as the other car crashed into their back bumper, jolting the two boys. Bo fought to keep the General rolling straight as the back end fish-tailed again. Before he could regain control, however, the blue car slammed into them again, then pulled alongside and shoved the General Lee off the road and sideways into a tree.

Luke rubbed his head where he had it on impact. Quickly shaking it off, he turned to make sure his cousin was alright. "Bo? You ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Bo muttered. "But it looks like we're fixin' to have company." Together, he and Luke turned around in their seats and watched as the two men from the other car approached.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Luke started to demand as soon as the strangers reached the car. He stopped short as the men leaned into the General, pointing their guns at the two Dukes.

"You boys is in trouble now," the smaller man said with a malicious grin, keeping his gun trained on Bo. "Y'all just get out of that car, nice an' easy like."

"Hold on a second there, partner," Luke said, trying to keep the situation cool as he and Bo both climbed out of the car and walked around to the front. "Ya mind tellin' us what exactly this is about?"

"Sure I mind," the taller man answered. "Boss says you two ain't never been able to mind your own business. So we's just gonna make sure you boys are… out of the way."

Bo frowned. This was bad. He didn't think that Hughie would go so far as to have him and Luke _killed_, but he also didn't like the way the man had stressed the 'out of the way'. Instinctively, he glanced over at his cousin. Luke was apparently thinking the same thing, because he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly at Bo and nodded his head imperceptibly.

"Well, I sure am sorry y'all feel that way," Luke said quietly. With that, he kicked out as hard as he could at the man's gun hand, succeeding in knocking the gun away. Now facing a weaponless opponent, Luke was able to tackle him to the ground. As the other man paused, distracted by the sudden attack, Bo grabbed his arm and wrestled the gun out of his hand, throwing it as far as he could into the scrubby mountain underbrush.

"Come on, Bo!" Luke yelled as Bo landed a solid left hook on his man's jaw. Dropping him like a stone, Bo made a run for the General Lee and slid in behind the driver's seat just as Luke jumped in the other side. He turned the ignition, flooring the gas pedal almost before the General had even started, and tore off down the road.

"Go, go, go!" Luke ordered as he watched out the rear window. The two henchman had only been dazed momentarily, but were now in their own car and following at top speed.

"Luke, we got us a problem," Bo moaned. Steam was pouring out of the hood and he could feel the General start shaking under his hands. "We musta busted somethin' after that jump. We ain't gonna be able to outrun 'em for long!"

"You just keep drivin'. They knew we was comin'... Hughie set us up in a trap," Luke said, reaching for the CB. "Mayday, mayday! Anyone out there on the Hazzard net? This here is two Lost Sheep, an' we need help! Anyone there? Come back!"

The two cousins listened with bated breath, but their only response was static on the radio. "Shoot, ain't no good," Bo realized suddenly. "We're on the wrong side of Iron Mountain, Luke! Ain't nobody gonna pick us up out here."

"Not unless someone else just happens to be drivin' around out here in the middle of nowhere," Luke muttered in agreemnet, realizing that was exactly what Hughie had been counting on. "Looks like we're right where they wanted us." Like Bo, he wasn't at all happy with the threatening way the two gunmen had talked about getting them out of the way. There was nothing he could do but to keep trying to call for help.

"Mayday, anyone there? This here is Luke Duke, we're runnin' east on old Miner's Pass on the far side of Iron Mountain. General Lee's all busted up and we got two of Hughie's boys on our tails, an' I don' think they just wanna talk. Come back, someone…anyone!"

"S'no use, Luke!" Bo yelled. The steam was pouring thick and heavy now. "Ain't nobody listenin'!"

"Well I ain't givin' up just yet!" Luke yelled back. He knew it was hopeless, though, and was preparing to throw the CB down in disgust when a voice suddenly came through the radio like a ray of sunshine penetrating through a stormy sky.

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite Duke boys, in trouble again. I see you all up there. Hang on, I'm coming!"

Luke and Bo sat gaping at the radio, hardly daring to believe their luck. Who on earth could be way out here? Bo struggled with the wheel in renewed determination as Luke tried to place the voice. He knew he had heard it before, but he just couldn't figure out who it belonged to.

"Hey stranger, much obliged!" he called back. "Who is this?"

"Why, Luke Duke! I'm hurt!" the amused answer came back. "You guys forgot me so soon? _That_ didn't take but a New York minute now, did it?"

Bo gasped, a wide grin suddenly spreading across his face. "I ain't believin' this!" he yelled happily. "She's back, Luke! She actually came back!"

"Brooke?" Luke gasped. He spun around to watch as another car came flying down the road behind them, slamming viciously into the car chasing them. He laughed as he saw the stunned faces of Hughie's men as they careened out of control and finally flipped down the steep embankment into the gully far below.

_Well, I'll be. Folks, y'all are about to meet none other than Brooklyn Calloway, a friend of the Dukes from up in New York. I'd wonder what she was doin' here... if'n I wasn't too busy bein' happy to see her. Just in time too, from the looks of things._

"Brooke!" Luke yelled again, waving an arm out the window at her.

"Whoooooo!" the girl in the other car whooped into the CB. "You're all clear, Lost Sheep! This is Polaris, and I'm back in the sky!"

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_A/N: First off, for anyone who doesn't know, Polaris is just another name for the North Star, which was Brooke's handle in New York Minute. I'm not putting myself in the story, though, don't worry. She's not me, just a girl with the same nickname._

_And like I said, it would be ever so wonderful if I got a couple more reviews than last time. Even if you don't like it, tell me so! I know I'm still kinda new to all of this, but that means I need more feedback! Thanks guys:)_


	4. Meet and Greet

_A/N: Ok, getting a little better with the feedback, but more is always nice. Thanks to the folks who do review, you guys are great! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own the boys or other Hazzardites.

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_Chapter 3 – Meet and Greet

Now that the General was no longer being pursued, Bo eased off the gas pedal, which somewhat lessened the cloud of steam which was still belching forth from beneath the hood. When he judged they were a safe distance away - in case Hughie's boys had entertained any ideas of following them, he gently guided General Lee off the road into a clearing in the trees.

"Brooke!" Bo yelled gleefully as he jumped out of the General, with Luke following a second later. The car that had come to their rescue had followed them off the road and a door opened to reveal their friend, Brooklyn Calloway. She got out, smiling a brilliant smile that Bo remembered very well.

"Hey, boys!" she called. Her northern accent was much more pronounced now that it wasn't being distorted by the CB. Rushing up to her, Bo caught her up in a bear hug while she laughed.

"Ok, Bo!" she giggled. "I'm glad you're happy to see me!"

"Happy to see you?" Luke repeated with a smile as Bo put her down so Luke could also greet her, giving her a hug of his own. "More'n just happy! We owe ya one for that!"

"Seems to me like you already owed me one," Brooke smirked, squinting up at him and raising an eyebrow. "So what's the story with those guys, anyways? Who's Hughie?"

"Oh, he's runnin' Hazzard now. It's a long story," Luke answered, shaking his head. "We'll tell you about it later."

Brooke nodded and pulled back so she could get a good look in at the two Duke boys. "So you guys haven't changed much, huh?"

The boys smiled, also taking in their friend's appearance. It had been nearly a year since they had met her, and even then it had only been for one day. Even still, neither Bo nor Luke had forgotten her sparkling gray eyes or the gorgeous smile that had gotten even the tough Sheriff Little from Chickasaw County to blush like a schoolboy when it was turned his way.

Not that it had been an immediate friendship. Bo and Luke had been reluctant to trust her at first, and for good reason. Even Brooke had admitted that circumstances had looked bad for her, making it appear that she was working to frame the two boys into federal prison for grand theft. In the end, though, she had managed to turn the tables and save both the Dukes and Cooter. They had all been sorry to see her leave.

"You're getting darker," Bo noticed. "Where'd ya end up after Hazzard?"

"Oh, all over the place, really," Brooke answered with a casual wave of her hand. She made a face. "I just got back from California, that's where I picked up this lovely Valley Girl tan. 'Ohmigah, like totally!' Boy, was I ready to get out of there!" she snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Well whatcha doin' back here?" Luke asked with a smile. "Not that we mind," he added in a hurry. "I just figured the FBI'd be lookin' to have one of their best agents back again by now!"

"Yes, well, the FBI can wait," Brooke said with a shrug and the vaguest hint of a blush. "I had to come back. I missed…. well, someone."

"Missed someone, huh?" Bo asked with a grin. "Well, ain't no reason ya had to come all the way back just to see me!"

Brooke grinned, still a little pink, while Luke rolled his eyes at his cousin. Frowning suddenly, Brooke nodded towards the General. "Is he going to be alright?" She had a genuine respect for the Duke boys' car, as much as any native of Hazzard.

Luke and Bo turned simultaneously to look at the General. The engine was still smoking slightly. Together, they headed back to the car and opened up the hood. Luke peered through the steam to get a good look.

"Yeah, he'll be alright," he finally said. "But ain't no way he's gonna get far until Cooter patches him up." Luke glanced over at Bo. "If Hughie sees the General over at the garage, he'll jump all over us. And after that little meetin' with his buddies, I ain't sure that's a good idea."

Bo nodded in agreement. "Nah, but General Lee'll get us as far as the other side of Iron Mountain. If we can make it to one of Uncle Jesse's old still sites, Cooter can meet us an' fix the General up out there."

"Yeah, good thinkin'," Luke said with a smile. He turned to Brooke. "Would you care to pass on the message to Cooter for us? We gotta avoid bein' seen for a while, and I know he'd be glad to see ya again."

"Sure, I was heading to town anyways," Brooke answered agreeably.

Bo frowned. "Well, if you was headin' to town, whatcha doin' out on this side of the mountain anyhow?"

"Yeah, what _were_ ya doin' out here?" Luke asked, remembering suddenly what a strange place it was for her to end up in. Brooke flushed deep red suddenly, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, um…I, uh…I - I kind of…got lost..." she admitted, completely chagrined. Luke and Bo both laughed. The poor New Yorker hadn't been able to find her way around very well the last time she had been there either.

"Well, you can follow us to the still site. We'll show ya how to get back from there."

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The car that Billy and Marv had been driving was beyond hope. Rolling down the mountain side, it had come crashing to a halt into a tree, though they had somehow managed to avoid injury to themselves. From there, there was really nothing they could do but hike back up to the road and continue walking until someone chanced to come along.

Flagging down the car, Billy had the unpleasant task of calling Hughie on the CB to let him know that the plan had failed. No wonder he was so tired, he suddenly realized. They had hiked all the way to the other side of the mountain, where Hughie's radio would actually be able to pick them up. He decided he should ask for more money. But not at that particular moment...

"Whaddya mean, they got away?!" Hughie raged at him from the warehouse. "I put them in your hands! How could ya lose 'em?"

"Wasn't that simple, Boss Hughie!" Billy apologized. "They had help. Someone ran into us from behind."

"Well, did ya see who it was?"

"Uh…no, sorry Boss. They came up too fast. By the time we realized what was happenin', we was already flippin' down the road."

From the warehouse, Hughie took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. It wouldn't do to lose his help this early in the game. Billy exchanged nervous glances with Marv when Hughie didn't answer immediately.

"Ok," Hughie said once he'd finally calmed down. "It don't matter now, we're almost finished settin' things up in here, so they cain't get in the way now. You boys just… wait there. I'll send Cooter to tow the car, but once you get back here I got more work for ya. And listen…" Here his voice got dangerously low. "If you two screw things up for me again, you ain't gonna get no more chances. You got that? I'm gone."

"Trouble, Boss?" Jack asked, from the table nearby where he was marking off names of potential buyers for their drug merchandise.

"Nothin' I can't fix," Hughie retorted. "We gotta get back to Hazzard. Let's go."

The two headed out of the warehouse. As they did, Hughie turned back to examine the day's work. He nodded in approval at the setup. He was pleased with himelf… the odds of anyone, including the Duke boys, stumbling in on this particular warehouse were slim to none. It was one that his uncle had set up years ago but never used. Quiet, out of the way, it couldn't be seen from any road. The only way to get to it was by driving all the way down a dead end road that few people knew the existence of, and hiking a quarter of a mile through the scrubby woods. _No_, he thought with a grin, _ain't nobody gonna find this place._

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Brooke tiptoed silently into the Hazzard County garage. She saw Cooter leaned over into an engine, whistling quietly, completely absorbed in his work. She snuck up behind him until she was practically standing over his shoulder.

"Hey, Cooter!" she shouted in his ear. Cooter jumped a foot in the air, just barely missing hitting his head on the open hood of the car he had been working on.

"Shoot fire, lady!" he yelled as he spun her direction. "You had-" He paused in the middle of his sentence as her face sunk in. Cooter gasped, his jaw dropping and then spreading into a wide grin as he realized who the intruder was.

"Brooklyn Calloway," he said in disbelief. "You came back!"

Brooke nodded, laughing gleefully at his reaction. He continued to stare at her, caught in her smile and the fact that she was standing there in his garage at all.

"Is that all I get?" she asked him teasingly. He could only shake his head mutely, the grin never leaving his face.

"Naw, come here, girl!" he finally said, pulling her into a hug. "It's great to see ya! I tell you what though," Cooter continued, letting her go and closing the car hood with a slam. "You sure got back to Hazzard at a bad time. You ain't had the pleasure of meetin' Hughie Hogg yet."

"Yeah, I heard you guys were… under new management," Brooke said with a frown. "Bo and Luke don't seem to like him very much."

"You already seen Bo and Luke?" Cooter asked in surprise. "You see 'em again, you tell them to be careful. I've been keepin' my ears on Hughie, and from the sound of things he's on the warpath after them two boys."

"Speaking of," Brooke said, suddenly remembering why she was there. "They need your help…"

Cooter listened to Brooke's story with interest and admiration, both at his friends' natural ability to get into trouble and at Brooke's marvelous sense of timing. He jumped again as the garage door slammed open and Hughie Hogg came stalking in.

"Cooter, I've got a job for you." he said grumpily. He stopped short as he caught sight of Brooke. "Oh hello," he said with a sickeningly charming smile, taking off his hat. "And who do we have here?"

"Brooklyn Calloway. How do you do?" Brooke answered with calm politeness, extending a hand. Cooter blinked in surprise. It was strange to see the marked difference in her demeanor, going between friendly and open with him to closed, cautious, and aloof with Hughie. The mechanic recognized the attitude all too well… Brooke had acted the same way to the boys until they became friends. He hadn't realized at the time just how cold it made her appear. Seeing that face directed at someone else now made him grateful to be on her good side. Hughie, of course, was utterly oblivious.

"Oh, I do quite fine, thank you," Hughie said with a giggle. "You ain't waitin' on this lazy idiot to fix your car, are you?" Cooter glared at Hughie and folded his arms, but didn't say anything.

Brooke felt herself staring at Hughie with the same masked expression she always used while profiling. She had already slipped into her professional mode, observing every slight move of Hughie's, analyzing his character and forming his profile rapidly in her mind. It was obvious why the Duke boys and Cooter didn't like this man. Her initial impression of him was a snake, pretending to be an innocent garden hose until someone came near enough for it to strike.

"My car's fine," she finally said, snapping out of observation mode. "Just catching up, you know? I should go, though, I have to talk to Sheriff Rosco about getting my job back."

"Hey, you gonna be a deputy again?" Cooter asked, his face lighting up. "That's really-"

"Cooter!" Hughie interrupted with a scowl. "You have a job to do. If you want to keep it, I suggest you _get to it._" Turning away from Cooter, Hughie bowed slightly in Brooke's direction. "But I'd be more'n happy to accompany you over to the courthouse to see the sheriff."

"No, thank you," Brooke said, biting back a smile as Cooter pulled faces at Hughie behind his back. "I believe I remember how to get there. See you later, Cooter," she said, nodding at the mechanic. She turned and stalked out of the building, aware that both men were watching her.

"Cooter, why ain't you left yet?" Hughie snapped, not taking his eyes off of Brooke's retreating form.

"Cause you ain't told me where the job is," Cooter answered matter-of-factly. He knew perfectly well that Hughie was talking about the car that Brooke had flipped down Iron Mountain, but he figured it might look rather suspicious if he somehow already knew about that. _Hughie don't know what he's up against,_ he thought with a smile as Hughie started ranting the whole story of how some idiot had driven his boys off a mountain. _But sure as shootin', he's gonna find out. _Cooter almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

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Back in Atlanta, Vincent Haynes took one last glance around the building he'd been staying at. He had to make sure that nothing was left behind that would incriminate him later. Satisfied that the place was clean, Haynes smiled with malice. So, they thought they could just fire him and get away with it? All the years he had put into that job, crashing down around him for 'professional misconduct'?

So evidence had disappeared. They couldn't prove he had anything to do with it. So he had his own methods of dealing with uncooperative suspects. Others had done it before him. So one of his key witnesses had ended up dead on his watch. Well… the witness had needed to be dispatched. He couldn't have afforded to lose the money he had invested in the man the witness was testifying against.

_Alright, fine_, he conceded to himself. He was a dirty agent. He knew it. But they had no proof. They had no right. _Professional misconduct, my ass,_ he thought, glaring around the room. _They were just lookin' for excuses to get me out._ He would show them. When he had become the biggest drug kingpin in the south… he would show them. He would show them all.

Pulling out the photos that the scrawny little Hogg had sent him, Haynes shuffled through them rapidly.

"Bo Duke," he muttered. "Luke Duke. So _these_ are the boys you're worried about, Hogg? They ain't nothin'. Just let 'em get in my way."

_Y'all, I think this boy means business. I wouldn't go to the kitchen just yet, folks, it looks like things are gonna heat up for ol' Bo and Luke here.

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A/N: So I know it's kind of got a slow start, but there's more action coming, don't worry. Especially within in the next couple chapters. I think. Of course, it goes much faster with more reviews... :)_


	5. Oh, How Things Change

_A/N: Ok, reviews are pretty good but I'm shooting for more than five... maybe I should do something drastic? Hmm... thanks to my reviewers though! Anyways, now that all the characters are in place we can get some action going here._

_Disclaimer: Much as I wish otherwise, I don't own those pretty Duke boys.

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_Chapter 4 – Oh, How Things Change

The next day dawned bright and clear as Brooke once again donned the blue shirt and black pants of a Hazzard County deputy. Rosco had been more than willing to give her the job back… he claimed it was because with Enos and Cletus both out of town for the summer, he needed a deputy and anyone would do. Secretly, though, Brooke was pretty sure he was still mad at Boss for replacing him with Hughie, of all people, and hired her out of spite.

Brooke smiled. The last time she had been to Hazzard, Boss Hogg had found out the hard way that she could be just as sneaky as him. Now it appeared she would have to do the same with his nephew Hughie.

When she got to the jailhouse to report for duty, however, she found herself walking into a scene that even she hadn't been expecting.

"Hughie, this ain't fair!" Rosco was yelling. "I been sheriff 'round here for a long time! I was _elected_ as sheriff! You ain't got no call-"

"I'm Boss now!" Hughie yelled back as Brooke quietly slid into the room and waited, hidden in a corner. "I get to do whatever I wanna do, and what I says goes!"

"You…you…oooh!" Rosco started muttering gibberish as Hughie pulled his badge off and handed it to a man standing next to him. Brooke sized the newcomer up. He was one of the biggest men she had ever seen, standing so tall she guessed he would have had to duck coming through the door. Even with his incredible size, however, she could see that there wasn't a single ounce of body fat anywhere on him… it was all muscle. Physically speaking, he was much more intimidating than Rosco or Hughie. Brooke would hate to have to fight him.

"Don't look so glum, Rosco," Hughie said with a twisted smile. "You get to stay on as a deputy. You just ain't in charge anymore. As for you three," he said, turning to three other men. Brooke assumed that two of them must have been the ones chasing the Duke boys the day before. "Y'all are deputies now. So we got us _four_ deputies… that must be a record."

"And I make five," Brooke said loudly, stepping out of the corner. She smiled as everyone looked around in surprise, not realizing anyone else had even been in the room. "That is, unless you're going to fire me too, Hughie? You're not, are you?" She smiled sweetly up at Hughie as she said this, never above a little groveling to get the job done.

There was no reason to worry, however. Hughie's face lit up to see her, especially since she was smiling at him. "No, of course not! Brooklyn, ain't it?"

"That's right," Brooke simpered expertly. "You remembered! You can call me Brooke, though. Everyone does. But I don't think I've met the rest of you?"

"Of course not! Where are my manners?" Hughie said, smiling his same sickening smile. It almost made Brooke nauseous. "This here is Jack, and Billy and Marv. You'll be workin' with them. And you ain't reportin' to Rosco now, you'll be reportin' to Sheriff Vincent Haynes."

Grinning prettily, Brooke extended a hand to the new sheriff, much to Rosco's resentment. "Pleased to meet you," she said coyly. Haynes stared hard at her for a minute, and Brooke was almost afraid her charms weren't going to work. She needn't have worried though… Haynes was as male as the rest of them, and he finally gave her something resembling a smile and shook her hand.

"Fine!" Rosco exploded. "You just go on makin' friends, then Brooke. I see I ain't needed around here, I'm just gonna go… I'm just gonna go an'…. Well, I'm just gonna go." With that, the former sheriff stalked out of the room. Brooke watched him leave, feeling horrible, but on the outside she merely raised an eyebrow as though confused and mildly disgusted.

"Alright, then!" Hughie said, completely ignoring Rosco's outburst. "Haynes'll give y'all your orders, and then you can get to work!"

_Hmm… I almost feel bad for ol' Rosco. First he gets kicked aside from Boss's job, then he gets kicked out of his sheriffin' job. Just ain't his day, is it?_

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Later that day when Brooke found her way back to the boy's camping spot, she wasted no time telling them all about Hughie's decision to fire Rosco as sheriff and replace him with a man of his own. This worried them, as they knew anyone Hughie wanted couldn't be good news for them. Even worse, Brooke was sure that she had heard Haynes's name before, but she just couldn't place it. The sight of him left a bad feeling in her mouth though, and so she told them to watch their backs.

Furthermore, she told them, it appeared that Hughie had completely forgotten about whatever it was he wanted the Dukes for. There were no warrants, no outstanding orders to arrest them, not even a general warning to watch out for them. Brooke saw this as a good thing, but it only increased Bo and Luke's suspicions. Hughie Hogg was not a man to be taken lightly.

Deciding to test the theory that perhaps Hughie had left secret orders to his men only, Bo and Luke had left hiding and walked into the Boar's Nest that same night and staged a loud and brawdy fight - a trick which both boys enjoyed immensely. Hughie and his men had jumped all over them, but only to pull them apart and arrest them for disturbing the peace. They were glad they wouldn't have to hide out the rest of the summer, but as Luke pointed out they were no where nearer to finding out what Hughie was up to and it made him nervous.

No matter how much digging they or Brooke did, however, there was simply no trace of any sort of smuggling coming in or out of Hazzard County. Bo and Luke drove all the way to Silver City, checking along all the back roads and asking anyone they could think of whether there had been any sign of suspicious activity around the area. Every hint they followed up turned up empty. Unfortunately, there was nothing the Dukes could do but wait and let Hughie make the next move. For her part, Brooke kept a discreet distance from the boys, blending into the daily life in Hazzard and handling Hughie the way she would a very poisonous viper – carefully, and at an arm's length away.

As for Hughie, over the next few weeks, the younger Hogg had become the most disliked man in the entire county, to no one's surprise. If Boss Hogg had been obsessed with making money, Hughie was fanatical. He charged twice the interest that Boss had, raised rents to unbelievable heights – which in turn forced store owners and business men to raise their own prices in compensation – and jailed Hazzard folk left and right to collect the unreasonably set bail. The Dukes in particular were hit pretty hard with all kinds of charges until Jesse was forced to dip into the mortgage money just to keep paying their way out of jail.

Brooke refused to lower herself to handing out phony citations, and so she volunteered for the patrols on the back roads of Hazzard which saw very little traffic. Rosco, however, did not share her sentiment. He became, if possible, even more bitter than he had been before and he didn't care who knew it. The Dukes had originally felt sorry for him, but after the tenth ticket in a single week, they quickly lost patience with him.

So it was that three weeks after Hughie had arrived in Hazzard, Rosco was out cruising around the high school, abandoned for the summer, just hoping he could catch some kid loitering so he would have an easy target to yell at.

"We been demoted, Flash," he told his dog. "But we'll show that Hughie. We're gonna show him, ain't we, velvet ears? I'll knock 'im into next week, I will. Khee khee! Ain't that gonna be fun when we do?"

Flash just stared up at him through droopy eyes before going back to napping in the passenger seat of Rosco's patrol car.

"I wish you had more faith in me, Flash," Rosco muttered, taking offense to his dog's lack of input. "You think I cain't do my job anymore? I can. Look, there's a group of kids over there behind the bleachers right now. Watch me go move 'em out!"

Rosco watched in satisfaction as the group of teenagers jumped to their feet, wide-eyed as he came pulling to a stop next to them. He was less than amused, however, when they turned as one and bolted for the woods.

"Hey! Get back here!" Rosco yelled furiously. Lunging forward, he just barely managed to grab the slowest kid of the pack by the arm before he could escape. "Now you just hold it right there!" he said, spinning the kid around. He recognized him… it was that scrawny kid, Timmy Edwards.

"Get off me, man!" Timmy yelled. Rosco shook his arm, annoyed with the utter lack of respect in the younger generation.

"Just hold it there, kid. What were you kids doing out here anyways?"

"Ain't doin' nothin'!" Timmy answered with a sullen scowl, trying to kick some stuff on the ground out of sight. Rosco caught the movement, however, and pulled Timmy aside so he could see. Bending over, he gasped. Laying on the ground was a half-smoked joint, and he could now distinctly smell the odor of the drugs.

"Now you just wait… wait just a cotton-pickin' minute!" Rosco was practically beside himself. Drugs! In Hazzard County! No Hazzard County kid had _ever_ been caught with drugs before! What was happening to his beloved county?

"You… you… where did you get that, Timmy? You're in big trouble now, you are!"

"Oh yeah?" Timmy demanded insolently. "You ain't the sheriff no more. Boss Hughie says I ain't gotta let you take 'em! Lemme go!"

Rosco's jaw dropped. Something was very wrong here. There was no way… it wasn't possible. Was it?

"You mean to tell me that Hughie Hogg knows you got them drugs?"

"Course he does!" Timmy shouted, still tugging. "I paid 'im enough for 'em, didn' I?"

Rosco was so shocked he didn't even register what was happening when Timmy finally succeeded in ripping his arm out of Rosco's grip and taking off for the woods. Hughie Hogg was dealing drugs in Hazzard County. He would never have believed that even Hughie was capable of such an atrocity. Sitting down with a plop right there in the dirt, Rosco absently began to stroke Flash's head as she laid it lazily in his lap.

"Flash, this is serious this time," he told her, staring unfocused into the distance. "What are we s'pposed to do?"

Flash picked her head up and woofed plaintively at him.

"We cain't tell Hughie to stop!" Rosco argued. "We cain't do anythin'!"

Flash woofed again, clearly in disagreement. Rosco sighed and looked at her guiltily.

"You ain't gonna let me not do nothin', are ya girl?"

Flash barked a third time in a negatory. Rosco sighed again and stood up, dusting himself off. This day was going to end very badly, he could tell.

"Alright then girl. We'll go tell Hughie that we ain't gonna have no drugs around here. Ain't gonna do no good, I tell ya, but I gotta say somethin'."

_Ain't that somethin'? Turns out ol' Rosco's got a backbone after all. Reckon why he ain't never stood up to Boss Hogg before?_

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"I know about the drugs, Hughie."

Hughie Hogg looked up from the money he was counting in his office at the Boar's Nest and Haynes stopped cleaning his gun. Rosco cringed slightly. Not subtle. Oh well, maybe blunt was the best way to go.

"Excuse me?" Hughie said quietly.

"The drugs, Hughie." Rosco repeated, swallowing hard. "I know all about 'em, and I ain't gonna have it."

Hughie stared back at him without speaking. Rosco was sweating. Hughie had already brought drugs to Hazzard County, there was no telling what else he would do. It was too late to stop, though, he had already put his foot in it.

"Well, uh… you see, Hughie…Boss Hogg, now he may do a lot of stuff that ain't exactly legal, but… dang it, Hughie! Even he don't deal in drugs! That's too low, I ain't gonna stand for it. Turnin' Hazzard into a breedin' ground for druggies and dealers? I ain't gonna have that on my conscience. I cain't let you do it."

"Relax, Rosco," Hughie snapped. "You ain't gotta worry about your conscience. You're fired."

"What? You can't fire me!" Rosco exclaimed. He was hardly surprised, but it was a blow nonetheless. "Maybe I ain't the sheriff anymore, but… but you cain't fire me!"

"Oh, can't I?" Hughie said coolly. "Give me your gun and your badge. You're out." Behind him, Haynes stepped forward threateningly.

"I ain't givin' you anything!" Rosco stormed angrily, but he changed his mind as his eyes darted over at the massive Haynes. "Now I'm serious, this time ya done gone too far, Hughie. I'll leave, but I know plenty of people who'd agree with me, and we're gonna stop ya."

"You and who else, Rosco?" Hughie sneered. "The Dukes? They won't listen to you…. they don't even like you. But by all means, why don't you just head on over to their farm and tell 'em all about it. But first, your gun. And the badge. Now."

Rosco tried to stare Hughie down, but quickly looked away. Resignedly, he took off his gun belt and his badge, throwing them down on the table. He bit his lip. Police work was his life. It wasn't the first time he had been fired, but Hughie was right… the Dukes didn't like him, and it was his own fault. He had no allies this time.

"You just… you just wait, Hughie Hogg!" he said, shaking a fist at Hughie as he passed, trying to look tough and not like a beaten pup. "I'll stop you! I will, then I'll cuff ya and stuff ya and toss you right back outta Hazzard!" With that, he slammed the door with a satisfying crash in Hughie's face.

"Boss?" Haynes asked worriedly as Hughie returned to his seat. "You gonna let him tell the Dukes?"

"No!" Hughie yelled angrily. "I don't know how he found out about the drugs and I don't care. If he knows where that warehouse is, we'll all be finished! Right now we have to stop him!" Grabbing the CB, Hughie quickly raised his three deputies.

Haynes listened in as Hughie ordered his men to stop Rosco before he reached the Duke farm. He smiled. The ex-sheriff stumbling onto the drugs was a setback, this was true. _But_, he thought as he rubbed his gun, _that ain't nothin' that can't be… fixed._ Heading out to his new sheriff's car, Haynes followed after Rosco. He would make double sure that nobody was left to interfere.

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In the end, Rosco never had a chance. A single car might be able to evade three others, if it was a Duke behind the wheel, but Rosco was easily boxed in by the other deputies. From his seat, Rosco glanced up and down the deserted road, hoping someone would happen to come along. He wasn't sure what the deputies wanted, considering he had just been fired, but something told him that he was in a very, very bad position.

A tap on the window startled him, and he rolled it down so Marv could say his piece. Maybe they just wanted to talk?

"Come on, Rosco," Marv said with a toothy smile. "Out of the car, let's go."

"Don't you go scuffin' my vehicle," Rosco replied with a frown. Opening the car door, Rosco slowly stepped out onto the dusty road, letting Flash hop down beside him before slamming the door shut again. "Now whaddya want?"

"Sorry, Rosco," Billy said from his right side, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "But we got orders to take you in. You're under arrest."

"Arrest!" Rosco yelled. "I ain't done nothin'! You wanna arrest someone, go arrest Hughie Hogg!"

"Cain't do that," Jack said, coming in the other side and cutting off any avenue of escape. "We're takin' you with us, and trust me… you really don't wanna fight us here."

"You ain't takin' me nowhere!" Rosco yelled angrily, backing away as the deputies converged in on him. He wished he hadn't given up his gun so easily. "Flash, get 'em!"

To his surprise, his faithful basset hound leapt to her stubby little feet and attached her jaws firmly around the ankle of the frontmost deputy. Rosco blinked… he loved his dog dearly, but the only order she usually obeyed was 'sleep'.

"That's my girl!" he cried as Marv howled in agony, shaking his leg in an attempt to dislodge the dog. Putting up his own fists, Rosco prepared to take on the remaining two men when the gunshot echoed through the air, bringing everything to a halt.

Rosco jerked backwards, his mouth open in shock. Then slowly, ever so slowly, he collapsed to the hard and dusty ground, crumpling like a broken marionette. Sheriff Haynes stepped out into the open and stood over the ex-sheriff, his gun still smoking. With a cold face of complete indifference, Haynes stared down at the body of his kill and slowly smiled.

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_A/N: Well I did warn you. All I wanted was reviews, guys... was that so much to ask? Just kidding, that scene was written a long time ago. Maybe now we can get some more reviews here? No flames though, it's almost Christmas...Thanks as always, guys! Y'all are great!_


	6. Searching for Answers

_A/N: Happy New Years everyone! This year my resolution is to quit whining about not getting enough reviews. So I'm not. :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes. Just fun here. _

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Chapter 5 – Searching for Answers

As the shot rang out, Rosco gasped and jerked back reflexively, assuming he had been shot. Even as he did, however, he realized with a quaking heart that it had not been him. He was not dead. Which could only mean….

_No! God no! _he thought as he his legs gave way and he collapsed, crumpling down to the ground at Haynes's feet. _Please, God, tell me he didn't… tell me it was me._ He knew it wasn't, though. He knew. His chest constricted, throbbing with a pain in his heart that hurt much more than any gunshot ever could.

"Flash," he breathed in agony. "Flash?" Rosco's voice wavered as he gently pulled the tiny body towards him with trembling hands, hoping against hope that she would turn and lick his face. He closed his eyes. The sticky wetness he felt against his skin as he held his beloved dog close was not from her slobbering tongue, but from the gaping hole where the bullet had passed right through a lung and into the heart.

"You… you bastard," Rosco whispered as he began to sob, not caring about the four pistols now trained on him. The tears fell thickly from his eyes as he hugged the broken body of his Flash, rocking back and forth. Looking up at Haynes through his liquid-filled eyes, Rosco could do nothing but shake his head in pain and confusion. "She was just a puppy…How… how could you?"

Haynes didn't even answer, looking bored with the proceedings. He nodded to his deputies. "Get him. Let's go."

Rosco didn't even object as they pulled him and his dog apart, cuffing his hands behind him and shoving him into the patrol car. He was too much in shock, as broken as the animal they left behind in the dirt under the scorching Georgia sun.

_That Haynes done asked for it now. It don't matter who ya are or where yer from… you don't shoot another man's dog. Reckon if it'd been me, I'd take a shotgun to Haynes myself._

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Meanwhile back at the farm, Bo and Luke were in the middle of an important debate while Daisy listened on in amusement.

"I still say she couldn't resist my pretty face," Bo said with a grin.

"Your pretty face," Luke scoffed. "She ain't that shallow. That's one quick little lady we're talkin' about Bo. It'd take more'n a pretty face to keep her happy."

"And I suppose you think just cause you're the smart one means she's automatically gonna take a likin' to you?"

"Don't you remember?" Luke asked, smiling. "Last year, she let _you_ go sit in jail while _I_ helped her come up with a plan to get ya back out again."

Daisy laughed. "He's got a point there, Bo."

Bo frowned. "Well maybe that's just cause she knew I could handle Boss an' Rosco better than you. "

"What?" Luke chuckled. "That don't even make sense, Bo. Face it, Brooke's taken a cotton to me, and you're jealous."

"Now fellas," Daisy jumped in, seeing a fight coming on. "Y'all know perfectly well that you're both worth takin' a cotton to. It could be _either_ _one_ of ya."

"Now don't forget Luke," Bo said, completely ignoring Daisy. "When she first got here. I told her she didn't have to come back just to see me. She didn't deny it then, did she? She could've said right then and there that she liked you better, but she didn't."

"Oh please, Bo. She just didn't wanna embarrass you."

"Look, Cooter's here!" Daisy interrupted, trying to end the argument.

"Embarrass me?" Bo demanded hotly. "You're just too stubborn to admit that maybe she wants more than just brains in a guy!"

"Yeah, an' you can't even give her _that_ much!" Luke shot back.

"Hey there, Cooter!" Daisy called, trying to make herself heard over the two boys.

"Heya Daisy," Cooter grinned, ambling over to the boys. "Fightin' over some girl again, are they?"

Daisy nodded. At this point, Bo and Luke had stopped arguing and were standing with their arms crossed, glaring pointedly in opposite directions. Cooter chuckled in amusement. If his friends didn't have to be so darn competitive over every little thing… not that it was the first time they'd argued over a girl before.

"An' who is it this time?" he couldn't resist asking.

"Brooke," Daisy answered for the boys with a sigh. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with them. See, turns out Brooke missed one of 'em bad enough to come all the way back to Hazzard, only she ain't told 'em which one it was. So now they gotta bicker and argue about it instead of just _askin'_ her."

Bo and Luke didn't answer, but simply kept looking sullenly off into the distance. Cooter smiled. He knew how to fix this… of course, they _did_ say he could fix anything. "Maybe she got back an' saw the two of ya and couldn't make up her mind. Maybe she likes _both _of ya and she's just tryin' to decide now."

Bo's frown turned into a thoughtful express, and he slowly turned to smile at Luke. His cousin was also quick to stop fighting.

"Ya know, cuz, I think ol' Cooter's got a point," Bo said.

"Maybe," Luke began to speak but Cooter interrupted.

"Course, if'n she saw you two squabbling like two little kids, I bet she wouldn't be quite so keen to take either one of ya. If you wanna impress a city girl like that, maybe y'all should try growin' up. Cause I gotta tell ya, gettin' all het up an' squabblin' over a girl ain't impressive so much as it is pathetic."

At this, Bo and Luke couldn't help but look slightly abashed. Daisy laughed at their embarrassed faces and hugged Cooter.

"Come on, Cooter," she said still smiling. "There's some lemonade in the kitchen for ya."

Bo and Luke watched them retreat into the coolness of the kitchen. They glanced at each other, then shook their heads and started to follow them inside.

"Ten bucks says by the end of summer, Brooke's datin' me," Bo said suddenly, never content to let an argument drop if he hadn't won it.

"You got yourself a bet, cuz," Luke answered quickly, having expected the challenge. Stopping briefly to shake hands, the two cousins headed out of the sun into the kitchen where Daisy, Cooter, and Uncle Jesse were already seated around the table.

"What've you boys got planned for this evening?" Uncle Jesse asked, pouring two glasses of lemonade for his nephews.

"Same as yesterday," Bo answered, sighing heavily.

"And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that one, too," Luke added as he took the offered glass, nodding his thanks. "We gotta figure out what Hughie's doin'. You know he's gotta be up to somethin', and right now the smugglin' clue is the only one we got. We just gotta keep lookin'."

"Tell y'all what," Cooter said, gulping down the last of his own lemonade. "I'll come help ya, soon's I get back from havin' myself a little chat with Hughie."

"What's up now?" Luke asked, noticing his friend's angry expression.

"Put it this way. Y'all have gotten his boys to wreck their cars what, maybe twenty or so times in the last three weeks?" Cooter glanced around as the boys nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well Hughie ain't paid me for it but once. I'm just gonna have to tell him if he ain't payin', I ain't fixin' his cars no more. I mean, heck, if I lose his business, I ain't really lost anythin', ya know?"

"You mean he ain't been payin' you?" Bo asked incredulously. "Little polecat. Well, just give us a holler over the CB whenever you get that squared away and we'll keep lookin' for what he's up to. We'll show him he can't just waltz into Hazzard and think he can take over an' do whatever he wants."

"Will do, buddyroes," Cooter said with a smile, heading out the door. "See y'all later."

"Come on, cuz," Luke said with a sigh, getting to his feet. "Let's hit the road."

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"We've checked the entire road on the way to Silver City, Luke," Bo complained as the two Dukes tore down the dirt country roads. "If Hughie's runnin' somethin' out here, he's hidin' it dang good."

"Yeah," Luke agreed thoughtfully. "Tell ya what, let's start from town and look a little closer. Maybe we'll see somethin' we've missed."

"You got it. Yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!" Bo yelled as he jumped the General over the creek heading back into town.

Luke grabbed hold and kept an eye on the road as Bo sped over the ground, straightening out corners to save the extra couple seconds. He was about to turn to his cousin and reprimand him for his reckless driving when a small shape in a clearing by the roadside caught his eye.

"Bo, pull over!" Luke suddenly said, leaning out the window. Taken off guard, Bo had to slam on the brakes, skidding to a sideways halt. Shutting off the engine, he turned to his cousin.

"See somethin'?" he asked, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever Luke was looking at on the ground. Luke didn't answer. He just sat there, not speaking, but his eyes were wide in shock and anger, and his breathing became uneven.

"Luke?" Bo said gently, shaking he cousin's shoulder in concern. "Luke, what's the matter?"

Luke still didn't answer, but he climbed slowly out of the car. Bo shrugged and followed him. As he came around the front of the General, he could see Luke kneeling on the ground, picking something up.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked, wondering what could have shaken his cousin so badly. Luke stood with something cradled in his arms and slowly turned to face Bo. When the younger Duke saw what his cousin was holding, he gasped and backed up into the side of the General Lee, horrified.

"Flash," Luke whispered, looking at Bo, his eyes stinging in spite of himself. "Bo, somebody shot her. They killed her."

Bo gaped at the dog in Luke's arms, trying to get past the shock. Rosco loved that dog more than life itself. How could he have let this happen? Unless…

"Luke," Bo said quietly, his eyes widening in fear. "Luke…where's Rosco?"

Luke looked up, catching on to what his cousin was afraid of. But it was impossible. Things like this didn't happen in Hazzard County. Shooting a dog was one thing, but to kill another human being… Luke shook his head slowly.

"No, they wouldn't have… even Hughie wouldn't…" He stopped. He couldn't voice aloud his fear that their sometimes-enemy was dead. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Luke set his jaw and straightened up determinedly. "Alright, Bo. Get that old blanket out of the General. We can't leave Flash here like this, but finding Rosco is more important. If they did… I mean, if he is… well, he might be around here somewhere."

Bo nodded and went to retrieve the blanket out of trunk of the General Lee. Carefully and tenderly, the two boys wrapped Flash's tiny body in the blanket and left her under a shady tree a few feet back from the road. They would come back to bury her after they found Rosco.

_So while Bo an' Luke are lookin' around for Rosco, not knowin' that he's sittin' in jail, ol' Cooter's gone to chat up Hughie. An' with Cooter lookin' mad enough to chew nails on account of Hughie not payin' him for his services, I sure wouldn't wanna be Hughie._

Cooter stopped at his garage momentarily before heading in to see Hughie across the street in the sheriff's office so he could grab the stack of repair bills that Hughie had yet to pay. Not that he expected the crooked Hogg to pay any of them.

"That's alright," he muttered to himself, heading across the street. "He'll change his mind when there ain't no more patrol cars runnin' anymore."

Inside the sheriff's office, however, the last thing on Hughie's mind was garage bills. He was absolutely livid, and he didn't care who knew it.

"How did Rosco find out about those drugs?" he raged at Haynes, who was lounging on the couch, letting Hughie run out his steam. "There's no way he could've found that warehouse. There's just no way! An idiot like Rosco wouldn't have a chance!"

Pacing around the room, Hughie tried to puzzle out his next move. He had questioned the ex-sheriff himself, trying to determine how he had managed to stumble in on Hughie's operation. Unfortunately, Rosco seemed to be completely catatonic and didn't even acknowledge Hughie's presence let alone his answer his question.

"Even worse," Hughie continued, stomping up and down between the door and the desk. "we don't know who he talked to before he came to us! For all we know, half the county knows about it, too!"

"The rest of the county ain't gonna do anythin'," Haynes cut in from his spot on the couch. "It's them Dukes we gotta worry about. If'n they know where to find the drug warehouse, they'll bring the FBI down on us."

Hughie nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we should get them outta the way just in case. On the other hand, if Rosco _didn't_ tell them, chasin' after 'em would only get their suspicions up. Right now, they're happy searchin' for nonexistent smugglin' rings in Silver City. That might keep 'em busy for weeks yet."

"Ain't that kinda risky?" Haynes asked doubtfully. "I'm warnin' ya, Hogg. I ain't lettin' _anyone_ get in my way on this. I got me a personal score to settle. Let me go work on Coltrane. Maybe-"

Hughie looked up suddenly. His instincts had always served him well in his various crooked businesses, and an alarm was going off somewhere in his head. Something was wrong. Haynes stopped short as he saw the look on Hughie's face. Hughie shook his head and motioned for Haynes to keep talking as he stopped pacing and walked quietly towards the door.

"Anyways, I still say it's best to assume that them Dukes know somethin' about the drugs," Haynes said, slightly confused.

Hughie nodded. Waiting for a second with a hand on the doorknob, he suddenly twisted and pulled at the same time, flinging the door wide open to reveal the startled face of Cooter Davenport.

_Uh oh…looks like someone just got their hand caught in the cookie jar. After that earful, I sure wouldn't wanna be in ol' Cooter's shoes. Don't go away now, ya hear? _

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_A/N: Not whining, but still asking... review please? Let me know if you like it! Thanks y'all, and Happy New Year again!_


	7. Two Down, Four to Go

_A/N: Minor whumping in this one, but not too much. But it'll probably only get worse as the story progresses. Thanks for all my reviewers, you guys rock!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes, I'm just having fun._

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Chapter 6 – Two Down. Four to Go. 

As the door was yanked open and Hughie appeared in the doorway, Cooter immediately rearranged his face to a completely blank look that would have made even Brooke proud. There was a small chance that he could convince Hughie that he hadn't heard the incriminating conversation, at least long enough to warn Bo and Luke what was really going on.

"There you are," Cooter snapped before Hughie got a chance to say anything. "I've been lookin' for you. Now look, Hughie. This has gone on long enough. Now you're gonna start payin' these here bills," he waved the stack of paper in Hughie's face. "or I ain't fixin' up your deputies' cars no more. Is that in any way unclear to you?"

Cooter started backing away slowly as he would if Hughie was a particularly nasty looking dog snarling at him. "I'm serious, Hughie. I expect _all_ those to be paid by the end of the week. Good day to ya." Throwing the bills on the floor at Hughie's feet, Cooter walked as quickly as he could out the door, leaving a bewildered looking Hughie behind.

Trying his best not to panic, Cooter hotfooted his way back across the street to the garage. There was no sense trying to fool himself… he was in serious trouble. He had less than a minute at best before Hughie came to his senses and sent his boys over – not nearly enough time to get away.

Cooter still wasn't clear about what was going on, but he wasn't dumb. He had seen and heard enough to know that Hazzard was in serious trouble and that Bo and Luke had to be warned. Maybe he wouldn't be able to escape himself, but he could at least pass the message on to the Dukes. Glancing out the window, Cooter grabbed the CB mike.

"Crazy Cooter to Lost Sheep," he said, not wasting time with his usual jargon. "Come in, please, Dukes. I sure hope y'all are there."

Meanwhile, Bo and Luke had given up on their search for Rosco and regrouped at the General Lee just in time to hear Cooter's mayday coming through.

"Wonder what's the matter?" Bo asked, mystified. It wasn't like their friend to sound so serious. Luke shrugged and picked up the mike.

"We're hear, Crazy C. We got some news here-"

"Ain't got time, Luke," Cooter interrupted, talking fast. "Ya gotta listen to me. Y'all are barkin' up the wrong tree. There _is_ no smugglin' ring… Hughie and that sheriff of his are dealin' in drugs and they got a warehouse around here somewhere. I think Rosco found out somehow an' they done somethin' with him…"

"So that's why," Bo said with a frown. "Rosco knew too much."

"An' now so does Cooter," Luke agreed. "Cooter, buddy, you'd best be gettin' yourself outta town for a while."

"Too late, buddyroes," Cooter said grimly, watching out the dirty window as Haynes and all three deputies came tearing across the road. He hoped they weren't going to shoot him on sight…

"Cooter?" Luke asked fearfully as the CB went quiet. "Whaddya mean 'too late'?"

In the garage, Cooter grabbed a crowbar up with his free hand, not letting go of the mike. Damned if he was going down without a fight! The four men burst into the garage, looking around wildly.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" Cooter asked in a low voice, startling them. Haynes grinned a humorless smile as he and his men spread out into a semi-circle, cornering the mechanic by the workbench along the wall.

"Why don't you put that crowbar down, fore you get yourself hurt?" Haynes said as he lazily pulled out his pistol.

"What if I just don't feel like it?"

Haynes eyes narrowed. "Then I'm perfectly within my rights to shoot you right now."

Cooter studied him carefully. Something told him that the sheriff would have no qualms whatsoever about killing him on the spot. Slowly, he set the crowbar down on the bench, knowing he had no chance of taking out all three deputies _and_ the sheriff as long as they had guns. He eyed the lawmen warily as they covered him with their guns, holding out the handcuffs but afraid to get too close. Cooter smiled in grim satisfaction as he saw the hesitation in the deputy's eyes. Realizing suddenly that he still held the mike, Cooter quickly sent out a mayday.

"Lost Sheep! They got me! Find Polaris!" he yelled. The other two deputies moved in swiftly, snatching the microphone out of his hand and decking him in the face.

Across the county, Bo and Luke were still listening. They stared at each other in growing fear. Was Cooter headed the same way as Rosco? Bo tried not to panic at the thought of Haynes killing his best friend.

"Cooter!" Luke called into the CB mike. "Cooter, come back!"

A new voice came over the mike, so full of malice it chilled Bo and Luke's blood. "Don't you worry none about your little friend, Duke boys. You'll be joinin' him soon enough."

"If you hurt him, Haynes, I swear –" Luke growled.

"Aw, ya hear that fellas? Little Duke wants to play tough! Well, we can play that game too, plow boy," the sheriff snarled back. Bo and Luke heard scuffling in the background, followed by a pain-filled protest and a few choice words from Cooter regarding the sheriff's mother and heritage.

"Still want to get tough Duke boy?" Haynes asked, chuckling spitefully.

"Leave him alone!" Luke yelled. Again Cooter could be heard from the background, wheezing slightly as he had just had the breath knocked out of him.

"Luke! Luke, find Polaris!"

"Shut him up!" the sheriff called. "You're next, Duke boys." With that, the voice was silenced as Sheriff Haynes turned off the CB. Bo and Luke sat in silence, filled with worry for their friend. Luke rubbed his forehead.

"Luke, whaddya think we should do?" Bo asked, trying not to sound too afraid.

"Cooter said to find Polaris," Luke answered. "He's right… we gotta tell her what's goin' on. I don't reckon it's gonna be safe for her to be workin' with Hughie for much longer."

Bo nodded. He wished he was as calm as Luke appeared. "Luke… Luke what if they _did _kill Rosco? What if Cooter…." He couldn't bear to finish the question. Luke wrapped his arm around his little cousin.

"Don't worry, Bo. We ain't seen Rosco yet… if he _was_ around here, we'd have found him by now. I'd say our buddy Haynes probably took him somewhere else. An' if they didn't kill Rosco, they ain't gonna kill Cooter."

"You sure?" Bo asked doubtfully.

"Sure, I'm sure!" Luke answered as confidently as he could, for his own benefit as well as Bo's. "Come on, let's tell Brooke what's goin' on. She'd be able to tell us for sure if Rosco got thrown in jail."

"Ok," Bo said, taking a deep breath. Taking the CB from his cousin, he hailed Brooke.

"This is Lost Sheep, callin' Polaris,"

"What?" Brooke snapped back into the CB. Bo raised he eyebrows and looked at Luke in surprise. Their friend rarely revealed her emotions, especially when she was upset, but it didn't sound like she was making even the slightest attempt to mask her anger.

"Polaris, uh… where are you?" Bo asked, still using her handle in case anyone else was listening. There was a silence on the other end. "Polaris?"

"I'm _lost_, ok?"

Bo shook his head in disbelief. "_Again_? This is getting ridiculous."

"No one's perfect, _Beauregard_!" Brooke yelled, using Bo's full name just to annoy him. Smirking in spite of the situation because Brooke had yelled at his cousin, Luke took the CB mike.

"Polaris, you got _any_ idea where ya might be?"

"If I knew where I was, I wouldn't be _LOST_, now would I be?"

"Look, Polaris, we ain't got time for this. Hughie an' his boys got Cooter and-"

"I know, I heard." Brooke interrupted shortly. "Look… you boys do what you can. I'll be back in a couple hours. After I check in with the sheriff, I'll meet you back where you had Cooter fix the General at the beginning of summer, alright? Just be careful."

_Do y'all realize that this whole thing started 'cause Boss Hogg finally had to pay for all his scams? Reckon if it was up to me, I'd rather have ol' Boss back._

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"Hughie!" Haynes called as he and the three deputies brought Cooter into the jailhouse. "Hughie, we got 'im."

"Thank goodness," Hughie sighed. "That's two down. Now we just need to round up the Dukes…if he told them what's goin' on, we can't afford to have 'em runnin' around."

"That's not the worst of it," Haynes said angrily. "The Dukes got somethin' called 'polaris'. I don't know what he's talkin' about."

Hughie stared at him, puzzled. "And what exactly is a polaris?" he asked, turning to Cooter.

Cooter just smiled. He knew this would be an ideal time to not say anything at all, but he couldn't help wanting to needle Hughie a little. "Our secret weapon," he answered with a knowing grin calculated to frustrate and annoy the corrupt lawmen.

"What kind of a weapon?" Hughie asked suspiciously. Cooter didn't answer. He'd had his say, and now he was done talking.

"Give me ten minutes," Haynes said with a glint in his eyes. "He'll tell me all about this polaris."

"Don't bother," Hughie answered quickly. "He ain't gonna tell you nothin'. Just stick him downstairs with Rosco."

"But Boss, I can-"

"No!" Hughie frowned. He'd been less than thrilled to hear that his sheriff had shot Rosco's dog, but the last thing he wanted now was more people getting hurt. That was one thing that he and his uncle agreed on – that was a line that neither of them would cross. But while Boss Hogg didn't have the heart to hurt anyone, Hughie didn't have the stomach. He was a coward, and it wasn't Rosco and Cooter's well being that concerned him, but his own, when the Dukes found out about it.

"I'm givin' the orders around here, Haynes," Hughie snapped. "Take him downstairs. Then get out there and bring me the Duke family."

Haynes narrowed his eyes in anger. "You three go ahead," he muttered to his deputies. "I gotta have a word with Hughie here." Nodding, the deputies shoved Cooter out the door.

"Rosco!" Cooter exclaimed as he was brought down the stairs. He didn't like the way the ex-sheriff looked… Rosco was sitting completely motionless, staring down at the floor. Cooter had never seen a man look more broken and defeated. "Rosco, are you alright? What did y'all do to him?" he demanded angrily, turning to Billy as the three deputies wrestled him into the cell next to Rosco's.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with him," Jack answered snidely. "Now you just sit tight here, and we'll bring in your little Duke buddies real soon."

As the barred door was slammed in his face, Cooter couldn't help but throw in the last word. He casually crossed his arms and leaned against the bars.

"Y'all ain't never gonna catch them Duke boys," he remarked. "But by all means, you're welcome to try. And when they see what y'all done to Hazzard, I only hope I'm there to see 'em whoop the whole lot of ya."

_That's tellin' 'em. Reckon I'd like to see that myself. Meanwhile, ol' Haynes was havin' a heart to heart with Hughie. An' from the look on Hughie's face, it ain't goin' too good._

"Look Hughie, things'd be goin' a whole lot faster if you'd let me take care of things _my_ way."

"No, I told you. If anyone gets killed, that's gonna attract a lot of attention that we don't need. Not now, when I'm about to call in all them big time dealers to work Hazzard. All we need is to keep the Dukes quietly out of the way until I can figure out what to do with 'em."

Haynes slammed a fist into Hughie's desk, startling him. Leaning in close, Haynes pulled Hughie by the collar until they were face to face. "I already told you, Hogg. I ain't lettin' _anyone_ stand in my way here. I'm gonna do what it takes – _whatever_ it takes – to _keep_ them outta the way."

Letting go, Haynes stomped angrily from the office, calling his three deputies with him. Hughie watched him through the window as all four went to stake out the garage and jailhouse, figuring the Dukes – being Dukes – would show up eventually to find out what had happened. Hughie sighed. A very small part of him was wondering if he had made the right decision, bringing in a man as dangerous as Haynes, but the thought quickly passed as his mind started churning numbers and he thought of how rich he was going to get, having a monopoly on the drug franchise for the entire Hazzard County and surrounding areas. Grabbing the phone, he started dialing numbers to all the big time dealers that he knew.

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_Now y'all, right here is the problem with bein' good people like the Dukes. It DOES tend to make 'em predictable. Ol' Haynes had already figured on them two boys comin' to town so's they could figure out what had happened to Rosco and Cooter. An' sure enough, here comes the General Lee._

"Rosco and Cooter," Haynes muttered to himself, sitting in his car where he had a view of the entire corner. "Two meddlers down. Now the Duke family... four to go."

At that moment, he spotted the bright orange car round the corner of the town square. "That's right, Duke boys," Haynes smiled evilly. "Closer. Just a little closer, and you two will be outta my hair…for good."

_Now whaddya reckon he's got planned? Sure hope nothin' happens to them two boys, or Hazzard ain't never gonna be the same again.

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A/N: Comments? What do you like? What do you not like? What are your thoughts? Review and let me know! Please and thank you:)_


	8. Appomattox

_A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks for all your reviews guys, I appreciate it! This is by far the longest chapter I've done yet, but that just means there's more Bo and Luke for you... More whumping, nothing graphic. A huge 'thank you' goes out to the ever-fabulous Hazzard Husker for agreeing to be my beta!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes.

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_Chapter 7 – Appomattox 

"That's it," Haynes muttered. "Closer, closer…" He was pleased. Now he would finally get those meddling Duke boys out of his hair. The obnoxious orange car was cruising cautiously down the road, as if they thought that by driving slower, everyone would somehow miss a bright orange car with a rebel flag painted on top. It didn't matter. A few meters more and they'd be in shooting range.

"Almost," Haynes started to say when the shots suddenly rang out, reverberating oddly through the still evening air. "No!" the sheriff yelled in frustration and anger as the orange car screeched off, leaving rubber behind on the road. Those damn deputies!

"You shot too soon!" he barked into the CB, enraged. "You idiots! Get after them!"

Hasty apologies and jumbled attributions of blame were the only response Haynes got as he took off after the Duke boys, the deputies falling in behind him.

"Drive, Bo!" Luke urged as he turned around to watch the chase. "They was waitin' for us!"

"I'm gone," Bo answered, pushing the General as fast as he dared through town. At this point the sun had all but disappeared over the horizon, leaving the road covered in shadow. He didn't want to hit a careless pedestrian by mistake. Once he'd left the town limits behind, however, he pushed the pedal down to the floor and flew down the road at top speed.

"That Haynes sure is a determined little cuss," Luke noted, still watching behind them. "He's stickin' with ya, cuz. Can't you go no faster?"

"You wanna try an' do better?" Bo demanded without looking at Luke. He knew the roads better than anyone in Hazzard, but he still had to be careful in the dark. "Maybe I oughtta pull over and let you take over, huh?"

Before Luke got a chance to respond, Haynes saved him the trouble. "Give it up, Duke boys. You ain't gettin' away this time."

Bo grabbed the CB mike before Luke could get to it. "Oh yeah?" he challenged. "Watch us."

"I just wanna thank you boys in advance," Haynes continued mockingly as if he hadn't heard. "Once y'all are outta the way, ain't gonna be no problem at all gettin' the old man and your purty little cousin."

"You stay away from them!" Bo snarled. "They don't know nothin' about any of this. Just leave 'em out of it!"

"Little late for that, boys. Maybe I'll have me some fun with little Daisy first. Whaddya think about that?" Haynes snickered to himself. His orders were to bring them all in alive, but the Dukes didn't know that. They were just too easy to toy with… the rage in the Duke boy's voice as he shouted back a few inventive expletives filled the crooked sheriff with a giddy sense of sardonic amusement.

In the General, Luke grabbed the mike away from his cousin, glaring at him. "Bo, you just watch the road. Can't ya see he's just tryin' to get you all riled up?"

"Luke, if anythin' happens to Daisy or Uncle Jesse-"

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen if we get to 'em first. But we can't even get to the farm unless you lose these jokers." The words were barely out of his mouth when the first bullet shot through the rear window and out the front, coming right in between the boys.

"Watch out!" Bo yelled to Luke, rather needlessly. He swung the wheel left, then immediately ducked back to the right again. "I'd really like a moment alone with that creep," he said angrily. "I'd teach him a lesson or two!"

"He'd drop you like a bug," Luke retorted. "Even providin' you got past them other three first."

"Cute."

"Havin' fun yet, Duke boys?" Haynes voice filled the air. "Now I ain't gonna tell y'all again. I want you to-"

But what exactly Haynes wanted, the boys never found out. The voice was suddenly cut off as two more bullets ripped uncomfortably close to the cousins' heads. Luke turned around in his seat.

"Aw, great," he muttered as he spotted the reason behind the sudden radio silence. "He'd never be able to make _that_ shot again if he tried."

"What just happened?" Bo asked, trying to keep the General on the road while zig-zagging crazily to avoid more bullet holes in his beloved car. Or in his cousin.

"He just shot off our antenna." Luke pounded the dashboard. "Dang it, now we _gotta_ get outta here. We need to warn Jesse an' Daisy that Hughie's after the whole family now. They'd best be layin' low somewhere."

"No problem," Bo replied, turning to look at Luke. "I can lose 'em. There's a place in the road right after this bridge-"

"Bo!" Luke yelled, sitting up straight in his seat as the road suddenly ended. The General Lee could fly over just about any creek, gully, or ditch in Hazzard County. Unfortunately for the Dukes, it didn't look like 'just about' was going to cover Henderson's Gap, which Bo had just driven off.

Luke had always heard that time seemed to slow down during a car accident. It seemed to be true… at any rate, he had plenty of time to wonder why, of all days, the bridge had to choose this one to be broken down. There were two bridges over the gap, for crying out loud. Why couldn't it have been the other one? Bridges were always out for one reason or another in Hazzard County, but in the pace of the moment, both Dukes had forgotten to be wary of this fact.

This entire thought process flashed through Luke's mind as the ground on the other side of the gap came rushing up to meet them.. He was braced for impact, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. After what seemed like an eternity of being airborne, the General finally collided with the ground with a shattering force.

Thanks to Bo's lightning fast reflexes, the younger Duke had been able to slam the gas pedal down only nanoseconds before leaving solid earth, which had provided them with just enough impetus to reach the other side instead of the instantaneous death that would have resulted had they taken the drop all the way down to the bottom of the gap. Unfortunately, there was no way to land the General safely after such a rocky flight. Even with his eyes closed, Luke could feel from the movement of the car as it skidded sideways, flipped over, and rolled down a small incline before smashing to a standstill. Then all was quiet.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Behind the General, Haynes had gained far too much speed and momentum following the Dukes to come to a straight stop. As soon as he saw the taillights in the General Lee disappear over the edge, he slammed on his own brakes and swung the patrol car to the side, spinning out and coming to a halt right on the edge of the gully.

Haynes sat in his seat for a moment, shaking slightly, fully aware of just how close to death he had come. The deputies had been able to stop without a problem, being much further behind, but if he had waited just one extra second… Peering out of the drivers side window, he could just make out the bottom of the gap far below. He frowned suddenly. Where was the damned orange car? Haynes squinted downwards into the darkness, his eyes examining every inch of the gully. Slowly, his gaze roamed upwards until it hit the other side of Henderson's Gap.

"There's no way," he muttered to himself. How was that even possible? For there, on the other side with the taillights glaring patronizingly back at him, was the General Lee. Somehow, the Duke boy must have found enough lift at the edge of the road to make it to the other side, which was much lower than where he was sitting. The landing must have gone horribly wrong, however. As his eyes readjusted on the other car, he saw that it wasn't moving. The roof was smashed in and the back end was extremely low to the ground, and the entire body was dented and scraped as though it had rolled over more than once.

"Damn it!" Haynes yelled. He grabbed the CB. "They made it across. There's another bridge not too far from here," he called to his deputies. "It looks like they flipped the car… it ain't goin' nowhere, and they can't get far on foot. Let's go!"

Flooring the gas pedal with malicious determination, Haynes and his three deputies shot down the road heading for the second bridge. The Dukes wouldn't be escaping him _this _time.

Bo bit his lip in pain as he slowly pulled himself out of the General. By some miracle, he wasn't seriously injured. A few bumps and bruises, but by and large he felt alright.

"Thank God for seatbelts," he muttered to himself, collapsing down to the ground. "Luke, you ok?"

"Just swell," he heard his cousin answer from inside the General. Bo groaned and pulled himself back up to his feet to look in the car. Luke was sitting motionless, not trying to get out, and he looked paler than Bo would have liked to see.

"Whatsa matter?" Bo asked worried. "We gotta go. It ain't that far to that other bridge. Haynes an' his boys'll be here any minute."

"I know," Luke said pensively. "My leg's stuck. You're gonna have to come help me out."

Bo nodded and hurried to the other side of the car. Looking in, he could see that the front part of the car had completely buckled in when the General had flipped and was pinning Luke's leg to the floor.

"What do I do, Luke?" Bo asked, managing to hold back panic. "What… how do I…"

"It's ok, Bo," Luke said calmly. "It's not too bad. Just give me your hand an' pull."

Grasping hands, Bo and Luke both pulled for all they were worth. Luke tried not to yell as he felt his leg slowly coming free of the wreckage, twisting at unnatural angles. With his other hand, he grabbed on to the door jamb and used brute muscle mass to help lever himself out from under the car's mangled front.

"Come on, Luke!" Bo yelled as he gritted his teeth and yanked hard. Luke gasped as he was suddenly pulled free and fell out of the General on top of Bo.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Bo," Luke wheezed, laughing painfully. "But thanks. I gotta sit here a minute." He leaned back against the car, running a hand over the damaged side ruefully. "Poor General… looks like he finally met his Appomattox."

"Luke…. Luke I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Luke demanded.

"For that," Bo answered, pointing at the General. "I should've been able to land that."

"Land that?" Luke laughed again, though it still hurt. "Bo, if anyone else in the _world_ had been drivin', we'd be dead right now. You did great, cuz. Ya got us outta that little mess alive."

Bo shrugged and nodded, but then froze as the sound of sirens filled his ears. They were coming.

"We're outta time, Luke!" Bo yelled fearfully. "Come on, we gotta get outta here!" He grabbed his cousin's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Luke, come on!"

Luke bit back a cry of pain as he tried to put weight on his ankle. His leg buckled underneath him. "Never mind that, Bo, stand me up by the General." He grabbed onto the faithful car's damaged hood and leaned heavily on it to stay upright. The headlights which were rapidly approaching told them that the deputies' car was speeding towards them.

"Luke!" Bo said, wavering. "What…whaddya think you're doin'?"

"Run, cousin," Luke answered quietly. There was no way he was going anywhere, hardly able to stand, let alone run. "Ya gotta go. I'll hold 'em off as long as I can."

"Forget it," Bo said stubbornly, planting himself next to Luke. "Ain't no way I'm leavin' ya here alone."

"Bo, run!" Luke yelled angrily, shoving his little cousin away from him. Bo shook his head, staring wide eyed at Luke. "Bo," Luke tried again, pleading. "they're gonna be after Uncle Jesse and Daisy next! You're the only one who can get away, ya gotta warn them! Hazzard's lost if Hughie gets _both_ of us. It's up to you, now. Please, cousin, ain't no time left. Run!"

Bo swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew Luke was right, but he just couldn't abandon him. Still shaking his head, he backed away, with Luke's encouraging nod. Then, trying to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes, he took off towards the treeline.

Luke heaved a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the approaching car with a lighter heart. He wasn't sure how far Hughie was willing to go this time. He didn't know what had happened to Rosco and Cooter – could only hope that they were still alive somewhere – but at least it was him, not Bo, who was about to find out. He stood his ground as firmly as he could, still leaning heavily on the General and testing his foot as the patrol car came to a halt four feet away. A second car pulled in behind them.

"Stay where you are, Duke!" a nasty voice called out. Luke had to squint against the glare of the headlights blinding him. "Spread out, men! Find the other one!"

"You're too late, Haynes!" Luke called back contemptuously, determined not to show his own fear. "Y'all's car cain't get to the woods, and ain't none of you man enough to catch Bo on foot!"

The sheriff swore angrily, knowing the Duke was right. If Bo had indeed reached the woods, he was as good as gone. He'd have to settle for just the one Duke, at least for now. Little did he know, he was close enough that he could have reached out and simply grabbed Bo, who had doubled back and crouched down in the shrubbery by the roadside.

Bo wasn't stupid… he knew he wouldn't stand a chance if he tried to take on all four of them, but he was at least going to make sure that Luke didn't get himself killed. If they just wanted to arrest his cousin, Bo would sneak back off to the farm to collect Daisy and Jesse. If they decided to go a step further, however…. Bo's hands curled into fists. No matter how much he loved the rest of his family, he would neverlet Lukedie alone. Not without a fight.

"Alright boys, let's get this one back to Hughie then," Haynes commanded, reaching into his car. Bo exhaled slowly, thanking the Lord that the corrupt policemen apparently had orders to bring in the family alive. Bad as Hughie was becoming, he hadn't yet crossed that particular line.

Satisfied that Luke was in no immediate danger, Bo turned and started crawling as quietly and carefully as he could, his heart breaking at the knowledge of what he was doing. Haynes was angry…very angry. There was going to be a fight, and Bo couldn't be there. He and Luke always had each others backs in a fight, but not this time. This time it would be four against one, and Luke was already hurt.

"I'm sorry, Luke," he whispered, cursing Hughie for putting him in the position where he had to choose between turning his back on Luke or abandoning Daisy and Jesse. He knew his cousin would never forgive him for getting himself caught as well, but for what he was doing, he wasn't sure how he'd be able to forgive himself.

---------------------------------------------------

Brooke heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled up to the curb outside the jail, thankful to be back in somewhat familiar territory. She sat in her car a minute, collecting her thoughts from the week's events, then she slowly got out and headed up the steps towards the jail. She was worried sick about Rosco, Cooter, and the boys. If only the CBs weren't so darn temperamental…she had lost radio contact with them quite a while back and had no way of knowing where they were or what had happened in the hours since she had last spoken to them.

Anxious as she was to get to the Dukes' hiding place, she knew she couldn't act like she knew anything was amiss. With this in mind, Brooke decided to grab a cup of coffee from the breakroom before checking out with Haynes for the night, as she would have done under normal circumstances. She had just barely poured the coffee, however, when she heard the front door slam open with a bang down the hall, and a rowdy commotion filled the air.

"Boss! We got another one of 'em, Cousin Boss!"

"Boss Hughie! Boss, we got him!"

"Just one? Which one? Which one didja get?"

Frowning, Brooke stood and headed back towards the source of the ruckus. She nearly gasped out loud at the sight that met her eyes. Only years upon years of training herself to keep a completely blank expression no matter what trouble she was facing kept her from crying out in anger.

Sheriff Haynes and the three deputies were dragging Luke in as Hughie watched on gleefully. Luke's face looked like a bloody mess and he seemed to be having trouble walking. He looked slightly dazed and Brooke was sure he'd probably been hit in the head more than once. As the deputies shoved him forward, Luke stumbled and fell heavily to his knees.

"Well, well, well. Luke Duke!" Hughie snickered ecstatically while the other men pulled him to his feet. "Get 'im downstairs with the others. Hot dog! Just three more to go now!"

Brooke watched on, the horror masked behind her unrevealing gray eyes as Luke struggled to keep his footing while the deputies pulled him down the stairs to the jail cells below. Adopting a face of vague curiosity, Brooke followed them nonchalantly, not even earning a glance from Hughie or the sheriff heading into the office as she passed them by.

"Luke!" Brooke heard someone cry out the Duke's name in obvious concern, followed by the sound of a harsh slap and a grunt of pain. She reached the top of the stairs to watch what was going on. Cooter was reeling back from the bars of one cell door, falling to the ground after apparently having just been knocked back by one of the deputies. The former Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane was sitting inside the cell next to him, looking utterly lost and watching with a face that suggested he was only barely aware of what was going on.

"Stay back!" the deputy snarled at Cooter as he unlocked the cell door. "Marv, watch him while I get this one in there." The door was opened and one of the other men swept into the cell, standing over Cooter with the gun pointed at his chest while Jack heaved Luke in. With his hands cuffed behind him, Luke had no way of keeping his balance and he fell heavily to the hard ground next to Cooter. The deputy standing guard backed out slowly and the barred door swung shut.

"Hey, wait a second!" Cooter yelled, jumping back to his feet. "You ain't taken the cuffs off 'im! Get back here!"

"He'll live," Jack sneered. "Now y'all just sit down an' shut up."

Turning, the three deputies laughed malevolently and headed up the stairs. Brooke smiled vaguely and followed them after winking swiftly at Cooter and Luke. She couldn't be seen talking alone to them, and had no desire to arouse Hughie's suspicions about her.

The four deputies reached the top of the stairs as Hughie and Haynes emerged from the office. Hughie quickly signaled them over, and was about to say something when Haynes cleared his throat quietly and raised an eyebrow in Brooke's direction.

"Right," Hughie said quickly. Brooke put on her best innocent face and pretended not to notice Haynes' actions. "Brooklyn, darlin', you can go on home now. I just gotta have me a few words with these folks here."

"Alright, Hughie," Brooke said with a perky smile. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

There was no point trying to sneak back in for a listen. In the tiny room with all five men standing in a circle, there was nowhere for Brooke to hide that they wouldn't see her. Even the door had been propped open so all four men could bring Luke in, so she couldn't stand outside the room and listen either. Trying not to show her impatience, Brooke headed outside and got in her patrol car. It was too risky to radio the Duke farm, even assuming her darn CB would decide to be working. Starting the car, Brooke drove across the street and pulled into the alley behind Cooter's garage, where the Dukes liked to park when they wanted to avoid being seen.

"Go on, then," Brooke muttered to herself as she watched the front doors of the jailhouse from the dark. "Whatever you guys are going to do, just get out of my way already."

She couldn't lie to herself…she was worried. Things were looking bad for Hazzard. Rosco, Cooter, and Luke were all in jail – out of the game, for the most part. She had no idea what had happened to Bo, or why they hadn't caught him with Luke, and she couldn't help but assume the worst. Daisy and Jesse might be alright for the moment, but Brooke's quick mind had come to the same conclusion that Hughie's had, and she knew they wouldn't be safe for long.

Brooke rubbed her forehead, sighing. She hated to think that _he_ would be in so much trouble. Everyone in Hazzard was in trouble, of course, but it broke her heart especially when she thought of _him_. She had to do something.

She didn't have long to sit and brood, however. Brooke watched from the alley as the doors burst open and two of the deputies plus Haynes hurried out, driving off in their separate cars. A few minutes later, Hughie followed. The other deputy, Brooke assumed, must have been relegated to guard over the jail for the night.

"About time," she said crossly to the open air around her. Glancing around cautiously, Brooke jogged swiftly across the street, back to the jail.

_Boy, I tell you what. I sure hope that little gal and the Dukes come up with some kind of plan, and fast. I ain't sure how much more of Hughie I can take. Don't y'all go away now, hear?

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A/N: Reviews are great... please and thank you!!_


	9. Repair and Regroup

_A/N: Yay! Thanks for all the reviews everyone, it made me feel great! I bet y'all can do just as good for this chapter too. Thanks again to HazzardHusker the fantastic beta, everyone give her a round of applause :)_

_Disclaimer: No profit, just a cure for boredom and unused creative energy._

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Chapter 8 – Repair and Regroup

After Hughie's men and Brooke made their way back up the stairs, Cooter wasted no time getting back to Luke and making sure he was ok.

"Luke," he said softly, turning his friend over onto his back. "Luke, can ya hear me?" Luke's eyes were closed, but he seemed to still be conscious. His nose was still bleeding and his lip had been split from a well placed punch. "Come on, buddyro, talk to me," Cooter pleaded, slapping Luke's cheek lightly.

"Cooter," Luke whispered. He groaned in agony as he tried to sit himself up. Cooter pushed him gently back down.

"Don' try sittin' up just yet. I'm sorry, I ain't got nothin' to get them cuffs off. You hurt?"

"Ankle," Luke said painfully, motioning to his foot. Cooter nodded and gently pried off Luke's boot, trying to ignore the gasps of pain from his friend. As the boot finally came free, Cooter could see how badly swollen Luke's ankle was. Grabbing a sheet off of the bunk, Cooter tore off a strip and wrapped Luke's ankle as best as he could, figuring if they could at least immobilize it for now, maybe he could persuade Hughie to let them have some ice in the morning to bring the swelling down.

As he was working on the makeshift bandage, Cooter kept talking to Luke, trying both to keep his friend's mind off the pain and to relieve his own anxiety. "Whatcha done to yourself this time, Lucas?"

"General... you're gonna have to fix the General," Luke whispered, his eyes staring unfocusedly back.

"Luke… stay with me. What happened? Where's Bo?"

"Told him to run," Luke muttered, wincing at the pressure of the bandage. "I held 'em off so he could run."

"And Jesse an' Daisy?"

"Bo'll take care of 'em." Luke said. He opened his eyes and looked around. He'd been pretty out of it for the trip back, and was still struggling to connect the fuzzy pieces in his mind. "What's goin' on here, Cooter?"

Finishing his work, the mechanic sat back and shrugged. "From what I been able to hear, they's just wantin' anyone who'd be able to figure out what's goin' on outta the way. That pretty much means all you Dukes, me, and ol' Rosco."

"Rosco?" Luke repeated in confusion, suddenly catching sight of the former sheriff, still sitting in the other cell forlornly. At the sight of him, Luke's brain snapped back in to efficiency mode. The events of the past few hours came rushing back with full clarity. "Rosco, you alright?"

Rosco didn't answer. He was still staring at a single spot on the floor without moving.

"He's been like that," Cooter said quietly. "Rosco was here before I was. He ain't said a word, just sits there lookin' at the floor."

"They killed Flash," Luke explained. "I'm bettin' that's all they had to do to make him shut down."

"They _what_?" Cooter yelped, his eyes flashing in anger. "Those dirty polecats! No wonder poor ol' Rosco ain't in the mood for conversation," he added in a softer voice. Neither of the boys were ever likely to be best friends with Rosco, but they couldn't help but feel a swell of pity for the man, looking so lost in the other jail cell without his beloved dog.

Luke leaned back against the bars with a sigh, still feeling slightly dizzy. He really wanted to lay down and go to sleep, but he knew they weren't likely to be left in peace tomorrow and he wanted to have some sort of plan ready. Unfortunately, the pounding in his head was incredibly distracting and he was getting nowhere.

"Psst! Luke! Cooter!" The two men looked up as the voice hissed in from outside the window. Motioning for Cooter to help him to his feet, Luke limped over to the bunk and somehow managed to stand up on it. Unable to use his hands to steady himself, Luke had to lean heavily against the wall to see out the barred window.

"Cooter, keep an eye out for that deputy," he whispered to his friend, who nodded and took up a position in the corner where he could see the top of the stairs. Luke turned back to the window and strained to see through the darkness.

"You there?" he called, not seeing anyone. Brooke's face pulled out of the shadows where she was kneeling to examine him in concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. "You look horrible."

"Great to see you, too," Luke grinned. "What're ya doin' here?"

"Trying to figure out what's going on. First things first… where's the rest of your family?"

Luke shrugged as best as he could. "Last I saw Bo, he was headin' for the farm. Pretty sure I got him enough time to make it 'fore Haynes and them other creeps get out there."

Brooke nodded, heaving a sigh of relief and thanking God that the other Dukes were somewhat safe. The next order of business was to make sure none of the prisoners were seriously injured.

Surveying the three men carefully, Brooke was none too happy about what she saw. Luke still looked pale and drawn. He was still placing all his weight on only one foot, and his shoulders were probably aching by now from the handcuffs. Cooter looked uninjured for the most part, just a little disheveled. Rosco was the main concern, though he didn't appear to have any physical injury. Brooke cared as much about the ex-sheriff as the Dukes or Cooter, and she didn't like the look of his empty expression any more than they did.

"Ok," Brooke whispered, her analytical mind focusing on the issues at hand. One problem at a time. "Cooter," she called softly, beckoning the other man away from watching the stairs. "You're a mechanic…can you pick a lock?"

"Can I pick a lock?" Cooter repeated incredulously. "What kinda question is that? Course I can pick a lock."

"Good," Brooke said with a smile, tossing her keys through the barred window at him. "That's what you can tell those deputies tomorrow when they ask how Luke got the cuffs off."

Cooter nodded. Taking the keys, he released his friend from the handcuffs. Luke smiled gratefully and stretched out his arms, rolling his shoulders until the discomfort faded somewhat.

"Now Luke, sit down," Brooke ordered. "Is your ankle broken or just sprained?"

"It's fine," Luke answered, though he still settled himself down on the bunk where he could still see Brooke. "We need to figure out what-"

"No," Brooke interrupted. "It's not fine. If you keep walking on it, you're going to damage it more. Now is it broken or sprained?"

"Just twisted a little," Luke answered grudgingly, wishing his friend would focus more on getting help to his cousins and his uncle.

"Well, there's no way to get you any ice," Brooke said, almost to herself as she thought out loud. "You should probably wrap that up in something though."

Too tired to argue, Luke simply tugged the bottom of his jeans up to show her that Cooter had already seen to it.

"We may be country boys," Cooter said with a teasing grin, "but even we know how patch up a bum ankle."

Brooke grinned back, glad to see that Luke was already being taken care of, and moved down her mental checklist. She didn't really need to do anything for Cooter, who wasn't seriously hurt. This left Rosco as the focus of her attention. She tried to hide her confusion. Coltrane was the only one of the three who had _not _been physically subdued, yet he somehow seemed far more damaged than the other two.

"What's his story?" she asked quietly, nodding at the ex-sheriff.

"They shot his dog," Cooter answered, barely containing the rage from his voice. "Killed her, most likely right in front of 'im. He ain't takin' it well at all. It was bad enough the time someone accidentally kidnapped Flash, but now that she's actually _gone_…"

"Accidentally kidnapped his dog?" Brooke repeated, sensing that the story would probably have sounded much stranger if she was anywhere else in the world. "Never mind, I don't have much more time. Cooter, toss my keys back up here."

"Brooke, can't ya come talk to him or somethin'?" Luke asked her from the bunk as Cooter reached over him to pass Brooke's key ring back through the barred window.

Brooke stared at him. "Luke, I really don't think there's anything I can say that's going to snap him out of this."

"You're a psychologist!" Luke argued. "If anyone could…"

"I'm a criminal profiler, not a grief counselor," Brooke retorted. Nevertheless, her face softened as she looked back at Rosco's sad little form. "Ah, the hell with it," she whispered so softly that Luke almost missed it. Her face suddenly disappeared from view. Cooter jumped up on the bunk and pressed his face against the bars, but Brooke was nowhere in sight.

Less than a minute later, the boys heard soft footsteps descending the stairs to their room. Brooke came tiptoeing around the corner, glancing over her shoulder as she came.

"That other deputy was snoozing in the break room. With any luck he'll stay like that," she whispered softly as she came in.

"Why don't we just bust outta here now then?" Cooter suggested quietly. Luke shook his head.

"Hughie's content to let us sit in jail right now. We escape, he ain't gonna be so lenient next time. We're stuck here 'til the others do somethin' about him." He stretched himself out on the bunk, wincing. "'Sides, I ain't gonna get very far like this."

Ignoring both men, Brooke instead headed straight for Rosco. Unlocking the door as silently as she could, she stepped inside and sat down next to Rosco.

"Rosco?" she prodded gently. There was no response. "Rosco, I know you're missing Flash." Still no answer.

"I don' think he knows anyone's there," Luke said quietly. Impulsively, Brooke suddenly wrapped both arms around Rosco, holding him close to her.

"We're still here, Rosco," she whispered, holding him tight. "Come back here. Come back to us. Flash sends you her love. She loves you and she's proud of you, but we still need you to help us get rid of the men who killed her."

She pulled out of the hug and knelt down on the floor in front of him, trying to meet his eyes. "Please, Rosco. Won't you do that for Flash? Can you hear me?"

Luke and Cooter watched wide-eyed, waiting to see if Rosco was able to respond yet. If he didn't make some kind of move soon, Luke was afraid that he might never recover at all. Brooke was also holding her breath, watching him carefully to detect any sign that he had heard a word that she had said. To their joy, Rosco suddenly blinked and lifted his head to look at the deputy sitting in front of him.

"There you are," Brooke whispered. "Let it out, Sheriff. I know it hurts, but you need to let it out."

Slowly, Rosco shook his head, looking down at the floor again. Brooke grabbed his shoulder. "Oh no you don't, Rosco. Don't you retreat on me. Look, I can't bring Flash back to you. But I promise you, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get Haynes behind bars. Got it? You have to stay with us at least that long. You owe it to Flash to see her killer take the fall. Can you do that?"

Again, there was a slight pause as the Brooke and the two other boys watched Rosco with bated breath. They needn't have worried however. The mention of Haynes seemed to light some sort of spark. He looked up at Brooke again, and nodded. Brooke was satisfied to see a slight flicker return to his eyes. She stood up and, taking the sheriff gently by the shoulders, pushed him down onto the bunk.

"I have to go now, Rosco. Remember, stay with us. Luke and Cooter are going to be here for you. Why don't you just try and get some sleep, ok?"

"Thank you," Luke said quietly as Brooke closed and locked the cell door behind her. Brooke turned back to look at the sheriff, who was already passed out, and shook her head.

"Don't thank me yet," she advised him, keeping her voice low. "He still has a long way to go before he's his old self again. He's got a chance though. Look," she said suddenly, leaning in close and lowering her voice even more. "I've got to go. I'm going to go find Bo and the others, and we're going to think up some kind of plan. I'll be back tomorrow morning."

Suddenly realizing how cold it was down in the room, Brooke headed over to the cabinets with the idea of grabbing some extra blankets for the three men.

"Calloway?"

Brooke barely managed to hold back a yelp of surprise as someone was suddenly standing behind her. Her self-training kicked in again and by the time she'd turned around to face the deputy who had been left behind, she was already cool and collected, her face betraying nothing of her shock or panic.

"What're you doin' here?" Billy demanded, looking suspiciously between her hand, which still held the key ring, and the two occupied cells.

"I lost my house key," Brooke grumbled without missing a beat. "I got all the way back home, and now I can't get in. I thought maybe I dropped it in here this morning, but I guess not. I'll have to get another one made."

"Why were you down here this mornin'?" the deputy pressed, still looking horribly suspicious and his hand straying dangerously close to his holster.

"Checking the jail cells, of course," Brooke answered, adopting a tone of slight surprise. "It's supposed to be done every morning, but since no one else ever does it, I usually take care of it myself. I don't want any of you guys getting in trouble." She mirrored his suspicious look. "You're a deputy…didn't you know they were supposed to be checked?"

"'Course I did!" Billy lied hurriedly. He'd heard of no such rule, of course, but to admit that would be to admit that he wasn't really a law enforcement officer. His face quickly turned to one of relief and he took his hand off his pistol. "Thanks for handlin' that for us though. Haynes'd be madder than a wet hen if he found out we weren't… checkin' jail cells. Like we're supposed to."

"He's a tough old guy, isn't he?" Brooke continued conversationally. As long as she had his attention, she might as well fish for information. "Did he ever used to be in the army or anything?"

"Nah, ol' Haynes was FBI," Billy answered, forgetting his suspicions at the chance to have a conversation with the pretty young deputy who had apparently saved him some trouble. He leaned up against the table by where Brooke was standing and smiled a toothy grin at her.

"How interesting," Brooke said coolly. "Good night." With that she stalked past Billy without giving the three men in the jail cells a backwards glance as she headed up the steps, her heart pounding furiously at the close call.

_Whoo, I don't know 'bout y'all, but I thought the game was up for a second there. Friends, I sure am glad Brooke's on the Dukes' side. She's a good friend to have. And from the way ol' Billy's watchin' her walk up them stairs, I reckon he's thinkin' she'd be a purty good friend to have too._

"Forget it," Cooter couldn't help needling the deputy, noticing the wistful expression on his face as he watched Brooke leave. "You ain't in her league, not by a long shot."

Scowling back at the prisoners but not interested in messing with them without his friends to back him up, Billy stalked off to get a cup of coffee. Snickering, Cooter turned back to Luke, who was still stretched out on the bunk, his eyes closed and a poorly hidden grimace of pain on his face.

"You ok there, buddyro?"

"Yeah," Luke whispered, still feeling lightheaded. He'd given the three deputies and Sheriff Haynes as good of a fight as he could with his limited range of motion, but they had gotten in more blows to the head then he would have preferred. He shivered slightly, feeling suddenly exhausted. Noticing this, Cooter took off his jacket and tossed it over him.

"You oughtta follow Rosco's example," he said. "Get some rest. I'll keep an eye out."

Too tired to argue, Luke nodded and was immediately pulled into blissful unconsciousness.

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By the time Brooke found her way back to the old still site where the Dukes were hiding, they already had a campfire going and were sitting around it talking quietly amongst themselves. As she approached, her foot caught a twig lying on the ground and she snapped it with a loud pop, causing Jesse to spin around aiming the long barreled gun at her.

"Woah, woah," she said hurriedly. "It's just me, guys. It's Brooke."

"Oh, Brooke," Daisy said with a sigh of relief as Jesse set his gun back down, allowing Brooke to come forward into the twinkling firelight. "We were startin' to wonder if you were comin' at all."

"Yeah, I had to stop at the jail first," Brooke said, sitting down between Jesse and Bo by the fire.

"How's Luke?" Bo demanded immediately. "He's ok, ain't he? Tell me they ain't hurt him too bad. What about Cooter, is he there?"

"They're both there," Brooke reassured him. "So's Rosco. I won't lie to you, Luke was roughed up pretty badly. But he'll be ok, and he was asking about you all. Are the three of you alright?" she asked, scanning them cautiously.

"We're all fine here," Jesse assured her gently. "An' Hughie don' know Hazzard County like Boss Hogg does. He ain't gonna find us in here."

"Hughie," Bo repeated angrily, pounding his fist into his hand. "He's the one we gotta take care of. When I get a hold of him-"

"Hughie isn't the main problem anymore," Brooke interrupted. The Dukes looked at her in curiosity and waited for her to explain. She sighed. "Hughie might be the brains behind the plan, but he can wait. Right now the most important thing is to get Haynes out of Hazzard before someone gets really hurt. I knew I'd heard his name before. I just didn't know where."

"Well, who is it?" Bo asked her impatiently. Brooke hesitated before answering.

"He used to be FBI. I didn't know that until one of the other deputies told me just now, but that's where I'd heard of him. The bureau suspects, only suspects mind you, that he killed a witness to keep him from talking, but nobody could get any hard evidence on him. They fired him for professional misconduct, but all that did was set him loose on the streets."

On the outside, Brooke was still calm and collected. Inside, however, she was furious with herself. If only she could have recalled that to her memory earlier, maybe they wouldn't all be in this mess now. She could have saved _him_ so much trouble…she could have saved everyone so much trouble.

Suspecting what his friend was thinking, Bo wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We wouldn've ever known that if you hadn' been here. Now we can figure somethin' out. Any ideas?"

"I do have an idea," Brooke answered, glancing around at the other three. "But it's going to be extremely dangerous. But it's the best chance we've got, and I think it might work…" Leaning in, Brooke began explaining her plan to the Dukes, hoping the following day wouldn't be ending in bloodshed.

_I'm hopin' the same thing over here. Y'all, I ain't sure what kinda plan them Dukes got goin' now, but I tell you what…it's gonna have to be twice as sneaky as usual, cause Hughie ain't no dummy. He'd smell a scheme a mile away. I just hope the Dukes know that. Don't head for the kitchen now, folks!

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A/N: Please review! How do y'all think the story's going so far? Let me know, thanks guys!_


	10. What Tangled Webs We Weave

_A/N: Thanks as always to HazzardHusker for beta-ing! And thanks for the reviews, folks, it makes my day! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original Dukes characters. I'm just havin' fun._

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Chapter 9 – What Tangled Webs We Weave 

By the time Brooke got back to the jailhouse in the morning, Luke's twisted ankle had gone from bad to worse. Cooter had rewrapped the bandage when the two men woke up, but it wasn't doing much good.

"Never mind me," Luke muttered, pushing Cooter away when his friend tried to help him sit up. "How's Rosco?"

Cooter glanced into the other cell. The sheriff was looking back at him, apparently having just woken up. "Rosco?" Cooter asked softly. "You doin' alright?"

Rosco blinked at him silently and nodded. Cooter grinned, relieved that the sheriff was still responsive, even if he wasn't being very vocal about it.

"Yeah, he's doin' fine, Luke."

"Luke! Cooter!" Both boys twisted around to see who was talking. Luke was relieved to see Brooke coming down the stairs with a large bag of ice. Helping Luke off the bed, Cooter pulled his friend over to sit down next to the door of the cell. As Brooke knelt down and handed them the bag of ice through the door, Luke rolled up the bottom of his pant leg.

"Better late than never, I guess," Brooke mentioned as she saw how swollen Luke's ankle had gotten over night. Luke hissed slightly as Cooter plopped the bag down on his foot.

"Sorry," Cooter apologized, rearranging the bag more carefully.

"S'ok," Luke whispered, his eyes closed as the ice began to numb his ankle. It hurt like the devil, but he was more concerned about his family. "Brooke, did ya find 'em?"

Brooke nodded. Glancing cautiously around, she leaned in close. "I don't know when Hughie's going to get here, so let's talk fast. I have an idea…"

Luke and Cooter leaned in to listen to their friend. As she talked, Brooke was aware of Rosco watching her closely. She got the impression that he was still conscious of what was going on, even that he was focusing on the plan that she was putting forth, but he made no move to provide input, or to say anything at all. Brooke snuck a quick glance over at him long enough to get a good look as she continued speaking. She was satisfied to see that there was still a spark of life in the sheriff's blue eyes.

"So that's the general idea," Brooke said with a sigh as she finished outlining her plan. "I still haven't worked out how we're going to find the warehouse, but we don't have any more time. I guess we'll just have to figure that part out later."

"Sounds like ya gotta pretty good plan," Luke said approvingly, leaning back against the bars. "I was thinkin' some this mornin'. I think I know how you can find them drugs."

Talking in a low voice, Luke briefly explained his own idea. Brooke listened carefully, yielding to the Duke's experience at shucking and jiving. When he had finished she smiled, nodding.

"That could work. That just leaves a few more particulars…"

Cooter could only watch and listen, thoroughly impressed, as Brooke and Luke put their heads together for the remaining details and emerged with a complete plan of action. By the time they were done, it certainly seemed like a good plan. With, in his mind, one exception.

"Sounds great, y'all, but are ya real sure Hughie ain't gonna see through that? Don' underestimate that little weasel," Cooter warned them.

"Well, that's part of the risk," Brooke admitted. "But as long as the first phase goes through as planned, Luke's idea will go off without a hitch. And unless anyone has a better plan, we don't have any choice but to go through with it." Standing, she turned to Rosco and looked him in the eye. "Don't worry, Sheriff. We're going to get them. Haynes _will_ spend the rest of his life in jail, I promise you that."

_-----------------------------------------------------_

"Anythin' to report, Billy?" Hughie asked as he, Haynes, and the other two deputies walked up the steps.

"All quiet," Billy answered, having come out to meet them with a yawn. "No one in or out all night. 'Cept that other deputy, Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn was here?" Hughie repeated with a frown. "Why?"

"Lost somethin' downstairs, or somethin' like that." Billy said unconcernedly. "She's down there now, I think. She come in 'bout five minutes ago, carryin' a bag of ice."

"Really?" Hughie asked thoughtfully. The trouble radar in his head was blipping again. Something seemed off somehow, a thought tugging at his mind, but he pushed it aside. Nothing was going to stand in his way today. "Today's the day, Haynes," he said optimistically, shoving his way through the front doors to the jail. "I can feel it, today we get all them Dukes outta the picture an' we're home free."

"How're we s'posed to find them?" Haynes demanded. He was in a temper, having been up half the night poking around the Duke farm in an attempt to locate the missing Dukes. He hadn't thought that Bo Duke would have had enough time to walk all the way back to the farm, but by the time they had arrived after bringing Luke in, the Duke family was long gone.

Hughie frowned at Haynes's pessimism. "Hazzard ain't that big. They're bound to be at one of their still sites, it's just a matter of findin' the right one. There's four of y'all, so if ya split up then we can have this settled before the dealers start comin' in."

"Don't forget, they got some sorta 'secret weapon'," Jack mentioned as the group headed in the direction of the office. "We still don't know what that polaris thing is that they was talkin' about."

"We could ask Brooklyn," Billy ventured to say, remembering longingly the way she had been so close to him the night before. "She's from New York, ain't she? Maybe she'd know."

Not paying attention to where he was going, Billy walked right into Hughie, who had stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes bugging and his foot lifted comically in the air preparing for the step that never came.

"Boss?" Billy prodded with a worried face. "What's wrong?"

"Brooklyn's from New York," Hughie whispered softly. In the blink of an eye, realization hit home. No, not just hit… the horrible thought struck him with so much intensity he almost fell over. The three deputies and Haynes exchanged worried faces.

"Didn' ya know that, Boss?" Marv asked hesitantly. "Accent like hers, I ain't sure how you coulda _not_ known."

"I knew," Hughie snapped back at him, putting his foot down. "I just didn' think it was gonna matter." He grabbed Haynes's arm, staring off into the distance. "Haynes… I missed it. It's her…. it was her the whole time. How did I miss it?" He almost laughed at the idea of the little New Yorker thinking she could deceive him forever.

"What's it? Who's her?" Haynes demanded crossly. "Whatsa matter with you anyways?"

"The day we was settin' up the warehouse… when Billy an' Marv was supposed to catch them Duke boys the first time… _someone_ ran 'em off the road." Hughie's eyes gleamed. "That was the day Brooklyn Calloway got to Hazzard. First time I ever saw her, she was bein' all friendly like over at Cooter's garage. Then Billy says she was messin' around downstairs last night. Haynes, the word polaris means 'north star'. Brooklyn's a Yank, she's as northern as it gets. _She's _Polaris, Haynes. Brooklyn is workin' with the Dukes."

Haynes stared at him, then scoffed. "Oh please, Hogg. Calloway? I think you might be overestimatin' that gal."

Hughie was about to reply when footsteps could be heard coming up from the jail cells below. All five men turned on the spot to see Brooke come up the stairs. Looking up at them, Brooke stopped short as she saw the five pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Good news, Hughie," she said, automatically improvising to cover up her surprise. "I know where the rest of the Dukes are hiding."

"What makes you think I'm lookin' for Dukes?" Hughie prodded, glaring at her suspiciously.

Brooke shrugged. "Please, Hughie. _Everyone_ in Hazzard knows you're looking for the Dukes. Anyways, I've been looking into it, and I think I've got it pinned down. Luke just confirmed it, even though he doesn't know it," she continued, allowing a sly smile to alight her face.

Hughie studied her. She was good. There was no doubt about it... that little conspiratorial grin would've had him completely fooled. Giving it a moment, just to make the young deputy nervous, he finally smiled. "Tell ya what, Brooklyn, darlin'. You go get the car, an' I'll send 'em right out. I gotta have a word with Haynes here first."

Brooke paused momentarily. The smile was there on Hughie's face, but she didn't need years of working around dangerous people to know that something was off in the way he was looking at her. A twitch of fear erupted briefly, which she quickly quelled with disgust. She was neck deep in now, she couldn't afford to lose her nerve. She would have to play this out.

"Alright," she said with a smile of her own that belied the anxiety she was feeling, taking her leave of the men.

"Whaddya think?" Haynes asked quietly as Brooke disappeared out the door. The other deputies clustered in to listen.

"It's a trick," Hughie answered, smiling grimly. "Smart girl, but I'm onto her now. Soon's y'all are gone, the rest of the Duke clan springs Luke an' the others an' there ain't no one to stop 'em. She's just gettin' y'all outta the way for them other Dukes."

"Whatcha wanna do? Play along?"

"No," Hughie was mad. No one tried to pull a fast one on Hughie Hogg and got away with it. "No, I'll keep the other three deputies here to surprise Bo, Jesse, an' Daisy when they try an' make their move. You go with Brooklyn. She's just gonna be in the way now… take care of it."

"My way, or your way?" Haynes asked, eyeing Hughie carefully.

"Just… take care of it," Hughie answered crossly, not willing to take the responsibility for whatever happened. "An' don' take too long. We got them dealers comin' in this afternoon," he threw over his shoulder at his sheriff as he headed into his office.

_Y'all, this ain't lookin' so good for Brooke and the Dukes. Brooke thinks she's two steps ahead of Hughie, an' Hughie thinks he's two steps ahead of her. Reckon everyone can't be two steps ahead of everyone else, or ain't no one gonna be anywhere. Y'all follow that?_

Brooke was sitting out in her car waiting on the other four men when her door suddenly opened, causing her to jump slightly.

"Scared ya, did I?" Haynes asked in a low voice as he slid into the passenger side seat and slammed the door.

"Um, no," Brooke answered, glancing around in confusion. "Is something wrong with your car? Where's the other three?"

"Billy, Marv, and Jack are stayin' to guard the prisoners," Haynes said, watching Brooke guardedly for her reaction.

"What?" Brooke demanded, wide-eyed. "Why are they doing that? It's going to take _all_ of us to get the Dukes. We _need_ them to come too."

"Why're ya so desperate for all of us to be outta here?" The tone in Haynes's voice left no room for doubt in Brooke's mind. Somehow, Hughie had figured things out on his own. Haynes had no intention of looking for the Dukes' hideout.

"I'm not," Brooke answered. Her hand moved slowly from the wheel, reaching down towards her holster. She froze suddenly as her field of vision was suddenly filled with the ugly barrel of a pearl-handled pistol.

"Now, now, Calloway," Haynes said lazily. "As long as you're reachin' for that gun there, why dontcha just hand it on over here? We don' want anyone gettin' hurt now, do we?"

Brooke chewed her lip. She had been out in the field before with the FBI, but her job had always been behind the police barriers. Looking down the barrel of a gun was a new and extremely unpleasant experience for her. Moving slowly, she pulled out her own gun and placed it in Haynes's waiting hand.

"Very good," he said smoothly. Changing position so his pistol was pressed against Brooke's side, he motioned for her to start the car. "We're gonna go for a drive, Calloway. Let's go."

Brooke drove in silence, trying her best to ignore the gun by her side. How the hell had Hughie figured it out? She couldn't wrap her mind around that puzzle, but she realized now that Cooter was right – she might just have underestimated the scrawny little Hogg. Her mind had once again slipped into professional mode. As long as she was here, she might as well start getting some answers.

"When Boss Hogg gets back, what happens then?" Brooke asked suddenly, not taking her hands off the wheel.

"What?" Haynes asked, glaring at her.

"Boss Hogg. Does Hughie really think Boss didn't expect a double-cross? After all the times he's been screwed over, I'm sure Boss has a back-up plan. He's not going to like what Hughie's done to Hazzard. When he comes back, he'll have some way of getting that nephew of his out of here. Then what do you think is going to happen to _you_?"

Haynes barked in laughter, digging the gun harder into Brooke's side. "Please, Calloway! You really that stupid? You seriously ain't figured it out yet? I knew Hughie was givin' you way too much credit."

Brooke took her eyes off the road long enough to turn and stare at Haynes. She held his gaze for a moment, trying to interpret the smug look on his face. Finally, she nodded, understanding, and turned back to the road.

"Boss Hogg never asked Hughie to come. He doesn't even know he's here. Boss really _did_ leave Rosco in charge, didn't he?"

"Well, well! You're shapin' up, Calloway!"

"But how did Hughie know that Boss would be in Atlanta for the entire summer in the first place? He's the last person Boss would have told." Brooke mentioned, her set face not betraying her confusion. "Oh wait, don't tell me," she continued before Haynes could answer. "You were working out of Atlanta when the sentence was set, right before you were fired. You told Hughie all about it in exchange for this job and a cut of that drug money, right? You probably thought you had something to prove to the Bureau, and thought this would show them, huh?"

Haynes blinked, caught off guard slightly, but he quickly recovered himself. "Maybe Hughie didn't give you too much credit. Don't matter though. You ain't gonna be able to tell anyone anything where you're goin'."

"And where's that?" Brooke asked coolly.

"You'll find out soon enough," Haynes answered with an ugly sneer.

Brooke stopped talking, continuing the drive in silence. There was no point trying to remember what turns she had been directed to take. For one thing, she was too good at getting lost to find her way back, and for another… Brooke's hands tightened on the wheel. Something told her Haynes didn't plan on leaving witnesses behind this time. The gun pressed into her side strongly supported the notion.

They drove on in the silence broken only by Haynes directing which roads to go down until Brooke was so turned around she could only assume they were still in Georgia at all. Finally, Haynes broke the anxiety-filled quiet.

"Reckon by now Hughie's got all your Duke friends in jail. Whaddya think about that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brooke lied evenly.

"Sure ya do," Haynes responded with a nudge of the gun. "You really thought Hogg would be fooled, huh? It didn' work, Calloway. The others are just waitin' for the Dukes to show up. Thanks to _you_, we should have all y'all troublemakers outta the way now."

Brooke laughed, more to spite Haynes than because she was feeling particularly jolly. "We'll see," she said.

"_You_ won't be seein' nothin'," Haynes shot back, narrowing his eyes at her. "Pull over, Calloway."

Pulling her patrol car over to the side of the road, Brooke shut it down and looked calmly over at Haynes. "Now what?" she asked him coldly, her face a mask.

"Get out."

Obeying the order, Brooke slowly opened the drivers side door, very conscious of the gun that was still being pointed in her direction. Walking slightly away from the car, Brooke stopped and stood staring back at the sheriff, keeping her hands down at her sides to keep them from trembling.

"End of the line, Calloway," Haynes sneered. He had followed her around the other side of the car and stood, covering her with the gun, only a few feet away. There was no way he would miss at that range. Brooke stared him in the eye as Haynes took aim. It threw him off slightly. People who were about to be shot usually closed their eyes. But no matter. She was one less busybody to be interfering with his revenge.

"Never mess with Vincent Haynes," he continued. "Too bad you learned that too late."

Brooke only continued to stare at him with those wide, gray eyes. Irritated at her refusal to fear him, Haynes glared at the New York deputy and pulled the trigger.

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_A/N: Well, I guess I'll stop there for today... heh heh. Reviews pretty please! Thanks y'all!_


	11. Sweet Revenge

_A/N: Hey, two updates within a week... not bad right? _:) _Told you I wouldn't leave you hanging TOO long! Many thousands of thanks to HazzardHusker for reading all this for me and letting me know if it makes sense. So, read, enjoy, and review. In that order. Thanks y'all! _

_Disclaimer: I lay no claims to the Dukes. They were created by someone much more genius than me._

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Chapter 10 – Sweet Revenge

As the sound of the gunshot echoed through the air, Brooke reflexively ducked and threw her arms over her head. She stayed that way for a moment, wondering vaguely what the afterlife was going to be like. After a few seconds with no pain or bright lights coming through tunnels, Brooke put her hands down and looked up.

Haynes was no longer standing in front of her, but sprawled on the ground a few feet away, wrestling with another man.

"Bo!" Brooke yelled as exuberant relief washed over her. "Get him, Bo!"

Haynes struggled furiously to shake off the boy who was grabbing on to him. Finally managing to fling him away, both he and the Duke boy got to their feet, breathing heavily and glaring at each other.

"Where'd _you_ come from?" Haynes demanded wrathfully. He'd had a perfect shot. He was so close, he would never have missed that double-crossing deputy had the Duke not appeared out of nowhere and collided with him like a cannonball, throwing his shot far too wide.

"See if you can guess," Bo shot back, panting slightly. Haynes's eyes roamed around the scene until they fell to rest on the patrol car that he had driven there in. The trunk lid was gaping open. Haynes's lips curled into a sneer.

"You shouldn'a got in the way, Duke boy," he growled before leaping at Bo. Bo ducked and did his best to dodge Haynes's massive fists as they exchanged blows left and right. Brooke watched, not sure whether she should go help or not. Bo was getting knocked around pretty badly by his colossal opponent, but he was holding his own, landing his own punches solid and strong. Besides, as big as Haynes was, she would be about as useful as a mosquito trying to stop him.

"That one's for _Flash_!" Bo yelled as he slammed his fist into Haynes's gut. Doubled over, Haynes couldn't prevent himself from crashing to the earth as Bo shoved him hard. "That's for _Rosco_," Bo continued. More sporting of a man than Haynes, Bo backed up to let him get back on his feet. This was one fight he wanted to win fair and square.

Haynes, on the other hand, had no intention of playing fair. As he crawled on the ground, his wandering hand suddenly closed on something metal and cold – his gun! There it was! That would tip the odds in his favor. Wheezing as he stood, Haynes pointed the gun at Bo and grinned triumphantly.

"This ends here, Duke boy," he started, smiling with pleasure as the Duke froze, staring at the gun in his hand with wary eyes. "Any last-"

Before he could finish, Brooke was on top of him. Taking advantage of the fact that Haynes was focused entirely on Bo, Brooke leapt, catlike, onto the sheriff's back. Bellowing in rage, Haynes tried to shake her off, but Brooke clung on, wrapping on arm around his throat and using the other to twist his arm up. Digging her fingernails into his forearm, she finally forced him to drop the gun again.

"Get off!" Haynes snarled, throwing the deputy away from him. Brooke fell hard on the ground, the breath knocked out of her. Before Haynes had a chance to recover, Bo was already swinging again.

"That's for _Cooter_, and that's for the _General_," Bo continued where he left off, landing two solid punches to Haynes's face. The crooked sheriff shook his head, dazedly seeing stars. Bo grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "And _this_ one," he said in a low, dangerous voice as he pulled back his fist, "_this _one is for Luke." Slamming his fist as hard as he could into the man's face, Bo could feel the nose beneath his knuckles break.

Brooke cringed at the sound of breaking bones as Haynes's howl of pain filled the air. Standing back up, she grabbed the handcuffs out of her gunbelt.

"Haynes, you're under arrest," she wheezed, yanking the big man's hands away from his face, cuffing them behind him. "I hope that bloody well hurts." Shoving Haynes back towards the patrol car, Brooke pushed him into the backseat, not bothering to help him duck under the roof. Slamming the door shut to block out the yells of fury and pain, Brooke wandered back over to Bo, who was hunched over slightly and breathing heavily.

"Thank you," she whispered fervently, planting a kiss on his cheek. "It took you long enough to get out of that trunk though," she continued, pulling back. "I thought you'd gotten stuck. But we got Haynes, that's what counts."

"An' Luke didn' think I could take 'im," Bo said by way of reply, grinning widely from both the kiss and the fact that he had proven his cousin wrong. Brooke shook her head and smiled.

"I hate to say it, Bo, but if he hadn't been taken by surprise _and_ double teamed, you probably couldn't have. We got lucky, that's all."

_Lucky or not, y'all, I sure am glad Bo was hidin' in the trunk of Brooke's car. For a minute there, I thought she was a goner. Now that Haynes is outta the way, reckon gettin' ol' Hughie's gonna be a mite bit easier._

"I know you couldn't see where we were going, but do you think you can figure out how to get back to Hazzard County?" Brooke continued, glancing around as though a sign were going to be posted telling her how to get back. Bo gave her a funny look.

"Brooke, you ever considered buyin' a map?"

"Not now, Bo," Brooke snapped, touchy about the fact that she had a talent for losing her way. "I'm serious. We still have to get back to pick up Jesse and Daisy and go get Hughie."

Bo spread his arms out wide. "We're _in_ Hazzard County," he said with a grin. "We're on the border of Chickasaw, it's just down the road."

Brooke looked around again. "Oh," she said in a surprised sort of voice. "Well, that simplifies things. We can leave him with Sheriff Little," she said, jerking her thumb at the car, where Haynes was kicking at the door.

"Sheriff Little _again_?" Bo complained. "He hates us Dukes."

"Tough luck," Brooke retorted. "We need somewhere to stash this guy. And I need a phone. Let's go."

Together, Brooke and Bo headed back to the car. Before getting in, Brooke stooped to pick the pistol that Haynes had been using up off the ground. As she got into the car, she passed the pearl-handled gun to Bo.

"I know you're technically not supposed to handle guns, but hold on to this. Rosco's going to want it back. And keep an eye on him," she added, nodding at Haynes in the back seat. There was still blood dripping down his face, which only increased his threatening look. Brooke was taking no chances.

The drive to Chickasaw County jail was a short one… Bo directed Brooke where to turn, as he had been there more than once. As Brooke suspected, Sheriff Little was only too happy to see her again and to hold onto Haynes until the FBI arrived. Disappearing to make a phone call, Brooke left Bo to wait with Sheriff Little, who glared at the young Duke staring innocently back at him.

"Howdy," Bo finally said jovially, trying to break the icy tension between him and the Chickasaw County sheriff. Sheriff Little didn't answer, but rubbed his shotgun looking like he'd dearly love to arrest Bo for something...anything. Bo shrugged and looked up as, to his relief, Brooke emerged from the office.

"So who were ya talkin' to? What's the next part of the plan?" Bo asked right away.

"I called the FBI office in Atlanta," Brooke answered, brushing past Bo. "I have to talk to Haynes now."

"Talk to Haynes?" Bo asked in confusion, following her down the hall. "He ain't gonna say nothin'. Shouldn't we be gettin' back to Hazzard?"

Stopping suddenly, Brooke turned to Bo. "Listen, Bo. You got to knock him out. Now it's my turn. I'm just going to warn you right now, you're not going to like some of the things that I have to say. All I can say is, you have to trust me here."

Bo looked at her quizzically, but followed her into the next room nonetheless. Brooke walked right up to the cell, with Sheriff Little behind her still holding his shotgun in case Haynes tried to cause trouble.

"Haynes!" Brooke called, trying to get the man's attention. Ignoring her, Haynes stayed where he was on his bunk, facing away from her.

"Yeah, I know you how you feel," Brooke continued, unable to resist the temptation to goad him a bit. "How are you going to live it down, being caught by a little New Yorker and a farmboy?"

"Gloat all you want," Haynes snapped, spinning to face her as Bo grinned at his discomfort. "You ain't won nothin'. Hughie's got the rest of your friends, an' you're all alone."

"Please, Haynes," Brooke laughed, throwing his own words back at him. "'You really that stupid? You seriously ain't figured it out?'"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Jesse and Daisy never went to Hazzard," Brooke explained patiently. "They were waiting for me to bring you to the hiding place. I really _do_ know where they are, by the way. The plan was never to get Luke and the others out of jail… the plan was to get Hughie to send _you_ right to us. I was going to drop a couple hints, make Hughie suspicious. At least, enough to where he'd think we were planning to bust out the others so he would leave the other deputies at the jail. And he did. He got you out of the way, just like he was supposed to."

Here, Brooke paused and frowned. "Of course, Hughie figured it out on his own, somehow. I don't know how he managed that. I only wanted him a little suspicious, not sure enough that he didn't even have you check out my information. Getting kidnapped wasn't part of the plan, but at least I had Bo as backup, so it all worked out." She grinned at him. "Some Trojan Horse, huh?"

Haynes was about to retort angrily, but decided against it. The amount of thought that Calloway had put into that whole little plan of hers was making his head hurt. His own plans didn't usually get more complex than 'point and shoot'. Turning away from her, he sat back down on the bunk, sulking.

"Would you like to walk away from all this?" Brooke asked quietly, her voice suddenly serious. Both Haynes and Bo froze, then slowly turned back to look at her again.

"Brooke, no!" Bo hissed. "Ya cain't just let him _go_!"

Ignoring Bo, Brooke leaned in closer and continued. "Look, Haynes. I've talked to the FBI. They want the drugs, and the brains behind them. You're just the muscle. At all costs, we want Hughie Hogg. They've authorized me to make a deal with you. If you tell me where to find that warehouse, and sign a statement naming Hughie as the one in charge of the entire operation, _all_ the drug manufacturing and distributing charges will be dropped."

"Brooke, are you crazy?" Bo demanded, pushing his way past Little to stand next to his friend. "You can't! I ain't gonna let you do that."

"You don't have a say in this, Bo," Brooke said firmly, turning to him. "Please. This has to be done." With a toss of her head, Brooke flipped her dark hair to partially cover her face, hiding it from Haynes. "Trust me," she mouthed silently. Bo just shook his head and glared.

"You're sayin' if I tell you how to get them drugs, I can walk outta here?" Haynes demanded from behind them.

"You'll be cleared of the entire drug ring," Brooke replied, avoiding Bo's disappointed and angry eyes. "When the FBI comes in and clears out that warehouse, your name won't even be mentioned in connection. I give you my word."

Haynes studied her carefully. The deal was too good…surely the FBI wasn't going to just let him walk away. He trusted the FBI no more than they trusted him.

"I want it in writin'," he finally said.

"We thought you might," Brooke said with a smile. Pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket, she handed it through the bars to Haynes. "The Atlanta office just faxed it over. Take a minute to read it, if you like. It's already been signed by the head field officer."

Haynes read the paper, hiding a smile. It was legitimate, signed by the federal government. They were really going to let him out, just for Hughie. The fools… Hughie was nothing. He was just Haynes's foot in the door to Hazzard County. None of it had even been Hughie's idea! But if they wanted to waste their time chasing him, well… Haynes could afford to start again elsewhere. It was a nuisance, true, but a small price to pay for his revenge.

And revenge he would have. Not just on the FBI now, but on the entire county of Hazzard and especially the Dukes. As soon as he was out, they would be his first target. They would be sorry they interfered.

"I agree," Haynes said with a sickly smile. Bo closed his eyes and sighed. How could Brooke have agreed to this? Even Sheriff Little seemed a little confused by the proceedings, but Brooke merely smiled back and handed him another piece of paper through the bars.

"That's the statement we've written up against Hughie. You're going to sign that, then tell me where the warehouse is. As soon as I've gone and confirmed that you aren't lying to us, we'll keep our end of the deal. Clear?"

Haynes nodded greedily. As he signed his name to the paper, he started talking. "Alright, ya wanna find the warehouse, this is what you do…"

_So, Brooke an' Bo followed Haynes's directions, an' found that warehouse, right where he said it'd be. Bo called Jesse over the CB an' filled him and Daisy in on what had happened, seein' as they was still waitin' at the still site wonderin' what had gone wrong._

"Now, you sure you two ain't hurt?" Uncle Jesse called back, his voice filled with worry after Bo had told him the story of how they had caught Haynes. "Y'all are ok?"

"We're fine, Uncle Jesse," Bo answered, still not meeting Brooke's eyes as she pointed the car back in the direction they had come. He had left out the details about the deal that had been made, clearing Haynes of the drug charges. "We found that warehouse, an' now we're just headin' back to Chickasaw so's Brooke can call the FBI an' get 'em in here. Y'all might as well go tell Hughie the game's up, an' we'll be there soon."

"Alright, Lost Sheep. Me an' Daisy'll head on up there."

"10-4, Uncle Jesse," Bo replied. Turning to his friend, he tried to make sense of everything. "Brooke, I sure wish I knew what you was doin'."

Brooke smiled her gorgeous smile. "Bo, you need to trust me. We've got the location to the warehouse now," she pointed out. "And we have Haynes's signed statement. That's all we need to convict Hughie. And without Haynes, Hughie's going to roll right over. Don't worry so much. Have I ever let you down?"

Bo didn't answer, but turned to stare out at the countryside flying by. It was true, he had learned from the last time she was there that she often had hidden motives that ended up working out in the favor of the Dukes…but he was darned if he could figure out what she had up her sleeve this time.

By the time Bo and Brooke got back to Chickasaw, it was already late afternoon. Once again, Brooke went to call the FBI office in Atlanta, leaving Bo and Sheriff Little to keep watch over Haynes, who was pacing the cell itching to get out so he could begin planning his revenge on the Dukes. This time the call was shorter, and Brooke soon came strutting into the room.

"Alright, there's two agents leaving from Atlanta right now," she said happily. "They'll go and clear out the warehouse. Then they'll take Hughie, the deputies, and Haynes back with them to Atlanta."

"What?" Haynes said, stopping dead in his tracks. "I ain't goin' nowhere! I gave you whatcha wanted!"

"Yes, you did." Brooke said with a smile. "Thanks for that. You're still under arrest."

"I have the deal written an' signed by the US government! You can't back out of an official deal!" Haynes yelled in anger. Bo looked confused. As much as he was enjoying Haynes's distress, he was inclined to agree with the man. He couldn't see how his friend was going to get away with this one. Brooke, however, just stood there and smirked at her enemy.

"We kept our end of the deal, Haynes," she retorted. "All charges of drug distribution have been dropped."

"Then why am I under arrest?" he demanded, his hands curling around the bars, wishing it was the little deputy's neck instead.

"Are you serious?" Brooke asked with a chuckle. She stalked boldly forward until she was just out of arm's reach from the cell. "Haynes, you kidnapped a federal officer…you pointed a gun at me and pulled the trigger. That's called attempted murder, Haynes, and since that wasn't part of the deal, you get life in a federal prison."

She eyed him coldly as he sat in his cell, fuming. "That's what you get for shooting that poor dog. I promised Rosco you would get what was coming to you. And I never break a promise."

"You promised I would walk away from this," Haynes yelled.

"No, I didn't," Brooke responded quietly. "I only asked if you would _like_ to." She paused, then leaned in closer.

"Never mess with angry New Yorkers," she continued, grinning wickedly. "Too bad _you_ learned _that_ too late."

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The drive back to Hazzard was much less tense than the one going in. Bo had of course forgiven Brooke for making him believe that Haynes would be free to go, and they spent the time laughing and chatting light-heartedly, which Bo intended to rub in Luke's face when he saw him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on," Brooke said by way of apology. "But if you didn't believe it than neither would Haynes. I needed your natural reaction to convince him. He wouldn't have bought it otherwise."

Bo shrugged. "You had me worried there, I was startin' to think you'd lost your marbles," he admitted. "Let's just hope Hughie ain't gonna give us any trouble."

"Hughie isn't a fighter," Brooke pointed out as they hit the outskirts of town. "He shouldn't be a problem. I don't think we'll have anything to worry about." Pulling to a stop in the alley behind Cooter's garage, Brooke turned off the car.

"If we ain't got nothin' to worry about," Bo said, thinking out loud. "then why are we parkin' in the alley?"

"Same reason I asked you to hide in the trunk," Brooke answered. "Because you can never be too careful." Opening the door, she got out and walked to the edge of the alley, peaking around outside but not moving. Bo came up to stand next to her. Brooke was silent, staring around the square. Something wasn't right about it, but she wasn't sure what.

"Well that ain't right," Bo said, answering her unspoken question. "Where _is_ everyone?"

Brooke looked around again, nodding. That was it… "It's Saturday afternoon, the square should be crawling," she agreed. "Where's everyone at?" Her gaze fell farther down the street at the jail. With a quick intake of breath, she grabbed Bo's arm.

"Uh oh…."

_Uh oh? Y'all that don't sound too good. Somethin' tells me this story ain't over yet, so don't go anywhere, you hear?

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A/N: Ok, so now you've read and hopefully you've enjoyed... all that's left is to review! So do so, pretty please. Thanks so much!_


	12. Reinforcements

_A/N: Just to clear up any potential confusion, this chapter goes back in time a little bit so the morning can be seen from Daisy and Jesse's points of view. I think y'all can catch that on your own, but just in case... _

_Thanks to HazzardHusker, and everyone who reviews! It's great of you to take the time (and it really doesn't take long...) Anyways, I'm thinking this story is coming very close to it's end, so thanks for sticking with it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes of Hazzard. I'm not making money on this..._

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Chapter 11 – Reinforcements

Daisy and Jesse sat together in silence in the cab of the pickup truck, lost in their thoughts. Jesse was hoping and praying for the safety of his youngins, while Daisy tried to stop thinking about how many ways the plan could've gone wrong.

"The important thing," Brooke had said that morning, "is to get Haynes out of the way. Before we get Hughie, we have to remove Haynes."

"How ya figure on doin' that?" Bo had been inclined to ask, used to letting other people come up with ideas.

"I'm going to get Hughie to send him out with me, looking for you."

Daisy sighed. It had been a fairly straightforward plan. Brooke would raise Hughie's suspicions. Hughie was a clever man. He would start leaping to conclusions, trying to anticipate the Dukes' next move. He would assume that the primary goal was to break Luke and the others out of jail…not a big leap, seeing as it _was_ what they would have normally done. He would leave the other three to guard the jail and Brooke would lead Haynes right to the still site, where Jesse sat waiting with his shotgun.

A slick operation, Daisy thought. But so many what-ifs. Bo had refused to go through with it unless Brooke let him come with her as backup. They had argued, Brooke pointing out that he couldn't possibly just waltz into town. She wanted Hughie suspicious, not dead certain, of where her loyalties lied. Coming in with Bo would have been suicide. In the end, she agreed he could come if he stayed hidden in the trunk of her car.

So, into the trunk Bo went, and Brooke drove off towards town, informing them that they would hopefully be back, with Haynes, in a couple hours.

But Bo and Brooke had been gone for the entire morning. It was getting on towards afternoon, with no radio contact yet. Neither Daisy nor Jesse wanted to let on how worried they were, and yet they were both acutely aware of how the other was feeling.

"Uncle Jesse, do you think something went wrong?" Daisy asked finally, breaking the silence.

"I don't know, Daisy girl," Jesse answered gruffly. "Ain't much we can do without knowin' what's goin' on."

"But what if Bo and Brooke need help?"

Jesse squeezed his niece's hand reassuringly. "If we ain't heard nothin' in the next fifteen minutes, we'll go out lookin' for 'em."

Daisy nodded, trying to smile. Suddenly, to her relief, a familiar voice came crackling through the CB.

"Lost Sheep to Shepherd and Bo Peep, y'all there?"

"Bo!" Jesse yelled, snatching up the CB mike. "Bo, where in tarnation are ya? What's been happenin'?"

As Bo told them how the plan had gone slightly wrong, nearly resulting in Brooke's death, Daisy gasped and grabbed on to Jesse's arm. Even in her own distress, though, she couldn't help but notice that Bo sounded rather put out as he continued to fill them in on the details of the morning's events, up to where they had gotten Haynes safely to Chickasaw County. She wondered what was making him so annoyed.

"Now, you sure you two ain't hurt?" Uncle Jesse called back. "Y'all are ok?"

"We're fine, Uncle Jesse," Bo answered. "We found that warehouse, an' now we're just headin' back to Chickasaw so's Brooke can call the FBI an' get 'em in here. Y'all might as well go tell Hughie the game's up, an' we'll be there soon."

"Alright, Lost Sheep. Me an' Daisy'll head on up there," Jesse said, motioning for Daisy to get in the truck as he started it up.

"10-4, Uncle Jesse."

"Wonder what that was all about?" Jesse pondered out loud as he pointed the truck towards town. "Bo sure sounds like he ain't too happy about somethin'."

"You noticed too?" Daisy asked. Her uncle turned and gave her a look, which Daisy immediately understood. Of course he noticed. He was their uncle, and no one could ever hide anything from him. Especially Bo, who was always so open about whatever he was feeling in the first place.

They drove in thoughtful silence for a while until the edge of town was in sight. Jesse slowed down as they hit the outskirts, not wanting to attract attention. They hadn't gotten far when Jesse suddenly pulled off the road to park by the curb.

"Holy mackerel," he whispered slowly, staring in the direction of the jailhouse.

Daisy caught her breath suddenly as she followed his gaze. Over at the police department, she could see eight limousines of various colors lined up outside. Standing around them and pacing around the jailhouse like sentinels were at least a dozen men in jackets and ties, not bothering to conceal the heavy pistols that each carried.

"Uncle Jesse, who're all those people?"

"I'd say them boys're Hughie's reinforcements," Jesse answered her quietly. "I hope I'm wrong, cause I don't think Brooke or Luke counted on them folks bein' here. Chickasaw's outta range from here, or I'd call 'em now. We'd best wait on them 'fore we do anythin' else."

Daisy nodded, watching the circling men warily. They all wore matching scowls on their faces, and some actually had their guns out, making a big show of polishing the already gleaming firearms.

"Maybe we should find somewhere to lay low," she pointed out nervously.

"I'm more worried 'bout all them folks walkin' around," Jesse responded darkly, staring out at the town square which was naturally teeming with people enjoying the bright summer day. "If'n them boys start shootin', lots of people're liable to be hurt."

"Well, maybe you can warn 'em, Uncle Jesse," Daisy suggested. "There's bound to be a few folks listenin'."

Jesse nodded in agreement, taking the offered mike.

"This is Jesse Duke to Hazzard," Jesse called into the CB. "Jesse to Hazzard. Everyone listen up here. There's some strangers up here at the jailhouse, an' they don' look too nice. They's just struttin' around with their guns out, an' I don't want no one gettin' hurt. I'd advise everyone to get themselves indoors for a while."

Setting the mike down, Jesse turned to Daisy. "Well, I ain't sure how much good that's gonna do, but maybe a few people'll get the message."

Daisy wasn't listening to him though. Instead, she was watching, open mouthed, as the entire town square of Hazzard suddenly shut down. All the cars that had been driving on the road suddenly pulled over. The drivers got out and, hurrying up to any pedestrians they could find, held a hurried conversation before darting into the closest store. When the square was completely cleared, all of the stores along the street closed and locked the doors, and an 'out to lunch' sign appeared in every window.

_Yup, looks like they got the message all right. That just goes to show how much them Hazzard folk like to listen to their radio. An' how much Uncle Jesse's word is worth to them._

"Oh," Jesse said, flabbergasted. Even he was surprised at how well that had worked. "I guess they got it."

"But I don't guess _you_ did, did ya pops?"

Both Jesse and Daisy froze at the sudden voice. Looking through the drivers side window of the pickup was the smirking face of the deputy Jack.

"And before ya go reachin' for that shotgun," Marv added from where he suddenly appeared at the passenger side door. "I wouldn't, if I was you. Why don't y'all just get on outta the truck?"

There was nothing else to do. With a heavy sigh, Jesse opened the door, pulling Daisy gently along with him. It was up to Bo and Brooke now, and there was no way to warn them about what was going on.

_Oh well_, Jesse thought to himself. _Least the empty square should tip 'em off that somethin' ain't right._

"I'm goin'," he grumbled out loud as the deputies prodded him and Daisy back towards the jail. It was going to be a long afternoon.

_Y'all, it's bad enough that Hughie has Rosco, Cooter, Luke, an' Jesse all in jail, but now he's got Daisy too. I sure do hate it when Daisy's in trouble._

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Nearly an hour later, Bo and Brooke stood together in the alleyway, looking out. Brooke was silent, staring around the square. Something wasn't right about it, but she wasn't sure what.

"Well that ain't right," Bo said, answering her unspoken question. "Where _is_ everyone?"

Brooke looked around again, nodding. That was it… "It's Saturday afternoon, the square should be crawling," she agreed. "Where's everyone at?" Her gaze fell farther down the street at the jail. With a quick intake of breath, she grabbed Bo's arm.

"Uh oh…."

Bo followed her gaze, his eyes falling upon the same scene at the jail that Daisy and Jesse had witnessed. The only difference was that now the men circling the jail by the limos were the only signs of life in the square, and their number had increased by nearly half again.

"Who're they?" Bo asked, confused. "What's with the limos?"

"I recognize that black one with the red top over there," Brooke whispered, pulling Bo back into the cover of the alley. "That one belongs to Jasper Simmons. It's unmistakable. He's one of the biggest drug lords in the entire south. The blue one next to his looked like Fritz Taylor's… they always travel together. Those six others I'm betting are all the other big dealers. The FBI was after a bunch of them when I was still working in New York, but they never did make much progress."

Brooke and Bo both stood in silence. Bo didn't see much room for concern…they had dealt with crime bosses before, he was sure this couldn't be much worse. Brooke wasn't as optimistic though.

"If that's who it is," she muttered, thinking out loud to herself. "We're in a lot of trouble."

"The FBI's already on their way," Bo pointed out. "We'll just sit tight until they get here. Ain't nothin' to worry about, Brooke."

Brooke turned to look at him, her face pale. "Yes there is, Bo. These people don't go anywhere alone. They always have their own little flunkies with them. There's eight cars there, Bo. Even if we assume that all of them only brought two other men with them, we're still looking at over twenty men to deal with now. The FBI's only sending two agents. I'd say we've got a _lot_ to worry about."

Bo frowned, seeing her point. "Well, why don't we just call 'em up an' tell 'em what's goin' on?" he suggested. "Cooter's got a phone in the garage, we can sneak in through the ceilin' so they don't see us."

Brooke nodded, and followed Bo to the fire escape ladder that he and Luke used to get to Cooter's roof when they wanted to get in through the trapdoor.

Bo jumped down to the floor, then turned to help Brooke do the same. Risking a quick glance out the window at the men who still circled the jail, Bo grabbed the phone and got a hold of Maybelle, the operator.

"Maybelle," he called quietly, holding the phone between him and Brooke so both could hear. "Maybelle, it's Bo Duke-"

"Oh, Bo!" Maybelle squealed in relief. "I cain't tell ya how glad I am to hear from you! I heard Jesse's warnin', but I don't know what's been goin' on out there! I saw all them men by the jail though, an' I'm all alone over here, an' I'm so scared! What's happenin'?"

"Jesse's warning?" Brooke repeated questioningly. "I guess that's why the square was so empty. Good for him, at least if things go badly then there won't be any bystanders getting hurt."

Bo nodded. "Maybelle, I ain't got time to explain everythin'. Hughie's brought a lot of drug dealers into town."

"Drug dealers!" Maybelle said, dismayed. "In Hazzard? That's horrible!"

"Yes it is," Bo agreed. "Look, Maybelle, me an' Brooke can fix this, but we're gonna need your help. We need you to patch Brooke through to the FBI office in Atlanta, an' we need you to _not_ tell Hughie ya done it."

There was a slight pause. "Why would I tell Hughie?" Maybelle asked, trying to sound indignant. Bo rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Maybelle. I know how it works. Boss Hogg pays you to be his rat, an' I'm sure Hughie does too. Maybelle, ya gotta promise you ain't gonna tell Hughie we made this call. If'n ya do, them strangers are likely to take over Hazzard! You don't want that, do ya?"

"No…"

"Then promise!"

"Maybelle," Brooke cut in as the operator hesitated. "I know Hughie is family, and we're not asking you to _lie_ to him. If he asks you about it, you can tell him. But _only_ if he asks…just don't go calling him as soon as we hang up, or everyone in Hazzard's going to be in big trouble! Can you promise us that much?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Maybelle answered gratefully. "Hold on, I'll get 'em for ya."

Handing the phone to Brooke, Bo wandered back over to the window. The sound of Brooke explaining the situation to the federal agents was in the back of his mind as he stared moodily at the jail and the men circling it. Somewhere over there was his cousin and his best friend, not to mention Rosco and quite possibly the rest of his family as well. He could see the pickup truck from the garage, but it was sitting empty and alone. He hoped that they were in one of the closed down shops along the road, but he felt pretty sure that they had gone to join the rest to sit in a jail cell.

"Alright, thanks," he suddenly heard Brooke say. He turned back to her as she hung up the phone. Quietly, she walked up to join him at the window.

"They're sending four teams up to get the dealers," she informed him, watching the scene outside the window with a pensive look. "But it'll take them a little over an hour to get in place. They'll go ahead and wait at the drug warehouse. Our job is to keep everyone occupied until then."

"Sounds easy enough," Bo sighed. Brooke shook her head.

"They want to catch everyone _with_ the drugs, just to be sure there's enough evidence. So somehow, we have to get all of them up to that warehouse at the same time. And we wouldn't even make it halfway across the street if we tried to go see Hughie."

She slammed her hand down angrily on Cooter's workbench. "Darn it, this is why I didn't want Hughie to be sure I wasn't on his side! I still need him to trust me at least a little bit!"

Bo smiled as fond memories from the year before sprang into his mind. "I dunno, Brooke," he said. "If there's one thing you sure are good at, it's makin' us poor guys not know _what_ we oughtta believe anymore. You give him somethin' he wants bad enough, Hughie just might get so turned around he don't know what he was thinkin', not trustin' you."

He paused for a second as a thought struck him. He turned, grinning to Brooke, who had also caught on to what he was saying.

Simultaneously, they both spoke. "I've got an idea."

_Well, if y'all wanna find out what their idea is an' how this is all gonna work out, ya better just stick around. Cause I can't tell ya. I don' know.

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A/N: Reviews are great! So are the people who leave them! Thanks again, guys!


	13. Day of Reckoning

_A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your reviews guys. I can't thank everyone enough for sticking with this story. This is quite a long chapter, but hopefully it'll be worth it:) Thanks again to HazzardHusker for beta-ing, everyone send her kudos!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Dukes._

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Chapter 12 – Day of Reckoning

Half an hour later, Brooke and Bo were still watching the drug dealers from across the street, having reasoned that it was simply impractical to interfere while the men were doing so well at keeping themselves occupied.

"By my thinking," Brooke finally said. "The FBI teams left about forty five minutes ago. It's a good fifteen minutes more from here to the warehouse. It's only going to take about twenty or so to bait Hughie, so we can move anytime. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure," Bo answered with a confident grin. Brooke smiled and nodded, pleasantly impressed.

"Let's go then."

Cuffing Bo's hands in front of him, Brooke grabbed him by the arm and started hauling him towards the jailhouse, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Hughie! Hughie! I got the other Duke! Hey guys, come help me out here, I've got a Duke!"

As she pulled Bo towards the jail, the commotion it caused brought all the men circling the jail to come running. The three deputies spilled out of the building, with Hughie close on their heels.

"B-Brooklyn?" Hughie stuttered, stopping in his tracks. Brooke pushed Bo towards Marv, Billy, and Jack, taking attention away from her just long enough that she had time to drop a small package into Hughie's car without anyone seeing. Spinning on her heel, she faced Hughie, who automatically cowered slightly.

"You," she spat at him. "Inside. Now. We're going to have to have a talk, I see."

Too shocked to argue, Hughie turned and practically bolted for the door. Brooke followed him inside, pushing her way past Bo. As she knocked into her friend, she expertly slipped the key to the jail cells into his pocket, unnoticed.

"Ow," Bo complained, trying to tug his arm away from Jack. "Leggo!"

Ignoring him, the three wrestled him inside and down the stairs. As he descended into the cell level of the building, his family and friends jumped to their feet at the sight of him.

"Bo!" Luke yelled as Billy shoved his cousin towards the cell. "Bo, what-"

"Back off!" Billy snarled as he unlocked the door and Bo's cuffs. He shoved Bo into Luke, knocking them both down, before slamming the door shut again. Uncle Jesse and Cooter hurried over to help them both to their feet.

"You alright, Bo?" Cooter asked in concern. "What happened? Where's Brooke?"

"Givin' Hughie what's comin' to him," Bo said with a grin as he rubbed his sore shoulder from being pulled around and from landing on the hard floor. He took a quick second to study the faces before him. Brooke hadn't been lying… Luke _did_ look a little rough around the edges, but it was nothing he wouldn't recover from. Uncle Jesse, Daisy, and Cooter looked perfectly fine, though Rosco seemed to be less talkative than normal.

"Everyone here ok?" he asked anyways, needing the verbal reassurance.

"We're fine," Luke assured him. "Now what're we s'posed to do?"

"Now we wait," Bo answered, sitting down comfortably. "It's Brooke's turn." He smiled smugly at Luke. "You're down a few points, cuz. This time she let _you_ sit in jail while _I_ helped her think of a way out."

Luke snorted. "I bet what _really_ happened is _Brooke_ did all the thinkin' and _you_ just went along for the ride."

"I saved her life," Bo shot back. Luke was about to argue when Daisy interrupted from the other cell.

"You both, just stop it!" she sighed. "I thought you two'd given up on that stupid argument."

"Let's just hope Brooke does whatever it is she's gonna do in a hurry," Jesse muttered, shaking his head. "It's too crowded in here. I ain't sittin' around all day with you two squabblin' like mother hens."

"Don' worry," Bo said, still glaring at Luke. "We'll be outta here in ten minutes. Just wait for the signal."

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Back in the sheriff's office, Brooke was setting up the trap for the final kill. Circling the room to where she was between Hughie and the desk, she deftly picked up the phone behind her back and set it down quietly on the table. Hughie, of course, was much too focused on the fact that Brooke was laying into him with everything she had, her face turned bright red in anger as she yelled at the top of her lungs at the unfortunate Hogg.

"What the HELL were you doing, hiring a man like Haynes?! You could've had the WHOLE Duke gang HOURS AGO if you hadn't sent HIM with me to get them! Do you know what YOUR damn sheriff did?! We weren't gone for TWO MINUTES when he pulls a GUN on me! YOUR stupid sheriff tried to KIDNAP me and I want to know _WHY_!"

"Tried?" Hughie asked with a small voice. Had he made a horrible mistake? "Ya mean, he didn't…succeed?"

"I'm _STANDING_ here, AREN'T I?" Brooke shrieked at him. "I had to go after the Dukes by MYSELF so I only got ONE of them! If you had just GIVEN me the REST of the deputies as BACKUP like I _ASKED _you to…"

She leaned in close to him, lowering her voice and throwing in a sinister tone for good measure. "He was working for you, Hughie. He was on your payroll. Now, I'm willing to believe that trying to _kill_ me was all his idea. But if I ever find out that he was acting under your orders…" She let the threat hang in the air for a moment, enjoying the effect it was having on Hughie, who was sweating. "I will make you very, very sorry."

Hughie sat frozen, very confused. She _had_ brought him Bo Duke. Could this be a trick? No, surely she knew he was on to her, Haynes _had_ to be evidence of that… she wouldn't dare come back if she was really working against him. Would she? Hughie couldn't be sure anymore. He was so confused. How had she gotten away from Haynes? And for that matter…. Where on earth _was _Haynes?

"Where…where is Haynes now?"

"I arrested him, you moron!" Brooke seethed. "Where do you think he is? He's in jail! Chickasaw County."

Hughie pondered on the situation. So Haynes was out of commission. Oh well, that was one less share of the profits he'd have to give away. Unless Brooklyn demanded a piece? No, she wouldn't if she was working with the Dukes, which of course she was. Wasn't she? Surely she was bluffing. But no, she couldn't be bluffing. She couldn't possibly believe he'd fall for such a transparent scheme.

Maybe she wasn't that smart after all. But she had arrested Haynes, which even the FBI hadn't been able to do. She must be exceedingly clever then. So why such a blatantly obvious plan? Unless that was part of the plan? Or maybe she was sincere after all? The thoughts rolled around in Hughie's head, but they ran in circles and he was getting a headache.

Brooke could have laughed out loud. She could see the confusion on Hughie's face and knew that she had done well. She had the Hogg so turned around he didn't know what to think or believe anymore. Confused as he was, Hughie would now be very easy to play.

"Listen, Hughie," she said suddenly, her voice becoming more casual. "Haynes told me all about that drug scheme you've got going on. I want a piece."

Hughie blinked. She was asking for a cut after all. Did that mean she wasn't working against him? Or did it prove that she was?

"So, Haynes told ya all about it, did he?" Hughie asked, stalling for time while he tried to puzzle through the situation. How much did he risk telling her?

"Yes." Brooke said simply. She stood examining her hands, not looking at Hughie. "And I strongly recommend you give me a cut."

"Let me guess," Hughie growled angrily. "Now you threaten to tell the FBI that I'm runnin' a drug racket in Hazzard if'n I don't give ya a share?"

"Oh, I don't need to tell the FBI," Brooke answered, smiling pleasantly. "You've just done that for me."

As she stepped aside, Hughie had a clear view of the phone, sitting harmlessly on the desk. Quickly putting two and two together, Hughie dashed around her and slammed the phone back into its cradle.

"What did you _do_?" he demanded.

"Too late," Brooke said with a mock yawn. "They're on their way. If you leave now, you could probably make it away, you know."

Hughie stopped and smiled, suddenly reading between the lines. So this was the master plan? Brooke wasn't working with the Dukes after all… she was working for herself! She really thought he would be dumb enough to run away from Hazzard and leave all his merchandise at her disposal? He snorted, amused that the little deputy, once again, thought that she could outthink him. _Him_, Hughie Hogg.

"You don't believe me?" Brooke asked quietly, leaning in.

"No," Hughie answered with a sneer, also leaning forward. "I think you're bluffin'. You want the drugs yourself. You wouldn't've call the FBI, or you'd get nothin'. No one's comin' to help you."

"You don't have to believe me. Call Maybelle back," Brooke suggested, trying to keep a straight face. "Ask her if she didn't just dial the FBI for me."

Hughie studied the girl before him, his stomach dropping slightly. Surely she was bluffing. Things were going too well to be screwed up now.

"Fine, I will," he retorted. Grabbing the phone back off the desk, Hughie irritably called Maybelle.

"Maybelle!" he yelled. "Maybelle, it's Hughie. Did you place a call for Deputy Calloway?"

"Sure did," Maybelle answered perkily. She felt a little guilty, but not much. She was well paid, and Brooklyn _did_ say she wouldn't have to lie. "Called the FBI for her. You oughtn't of brought drugs to Hazzard, Hughie. You know better'n that."

Slamming down the phone, Hughie stood, shaking slightly. This was impossible! The FBI would be on their way, and in an hour…

"Wait a second," Hughie said suddenly, a surge of relief coursing through him. "The drugs are the evidence. They don't find the drugs, they ain't got a case. They don't know where the warehouse _is_."

"They'll find out," Brooke shot back at him. "They know Haynes can tell them, and they know he's in Chickasaw. You know Haynes will tell them everything he knows to get out of jail."

Hughie frowned at her. "They'll find _that_ warehouse, but it'll take them over an hour to get here. I got twenty-eight men here. It'd only take us half that long to clear out them drugs an' move everythin' somewhere else."

As he spoke, Hughie watched Brooke's face carefully. It was as he had suspected. The girl was desperate, making plans up as she went, and now she was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Obviously, she hadn't considered that he could simply pack up and move.

Grinning triumphantly, Hughie yelled for the deputies, who came scurrying in at his call.

"Boys, we got work to do," he said. "Jack, take everyone out to the warehouse, clear it out, an' take it all to the secondary site. I'm gonna wait for you there. Marv, Billy, arrest Brooklyn, put her downstairs with the others."

"What's goin' on, Hughie?" Jack asked as Marv relieved Brooke of her gunbelt, taking her gun, keys, and cuffs. Brooke didn't resist him, but let him have the gun. It was too easy. For a man as smart as Hughie, it took next to nothing to let him see what he wanted to see.

"Miss Brooklyn thought she could pull a fast one on us," Hughie answered, still studying Brooke carefully. He frowned, suddenly unsure again. A minute ago she had looked defeated, but now there was the subtlest hint of a smile hiding on her face. Was she trying to fool him, or did she know something he didn't?

"Wait a minute, you two," he said suddenly as Billy and Marv started to lead the New Yorker out of the office. Maybe she wasn't partners with the Dukes, but he didn't doubt they would unite to get him out of Hazzard. "On second thought, you two just stay here. I don't want her anywhere near the Dukes. I'll take her with me to the second site."

He frowned again. The smile had definitely gotten bigger at his last order. It was nothing, Hughie decided. She was just trying to mess with his head, and he wouldn't stand for that. The last thing he needed was his enemies combining.

"Come on," he growled, pushing her out towards his car. "Jack, call me the minute y'all have the warehouse cleared," he yelled back over his shoulder as they left the building.

_Friends an' neighbors, y'all pay attention, cause I think the cow patties are about to hit the fan._

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"Well, there they go," Bo said, watching through the bars in the window as the eight limousines and one of the deputy's cars tore out of town. "And if Brooke was right, that means Hughie's goin' to hide until things calm down."

"There goes the dirty little polecat now, an' Brooke's with 'im," Cooter growled as the smaller car drove cautiously around the corner and headed inconspicuously out the other direction. As it passed the jailhouse, they could see Brooke in the passenger seat turn towards them slightly and nod.

"Now what're we s'posed to do?" Daisy asked with a sigh. "We ain't never gonna catch up with any of 'em without the General."

"Oh don' worry. Brooke can handle him. Now, the rest of us walk right on outta here," Bo said triumphantly. He grinned. He was still upset that Luke had been hurt, of course, but it _was_ rather nice being the one who knew what to do for a change.

"How're we gonna do that, cuz?" Luke said with a laugh, seeing the look on Bo's face and knowing exactly what it was about. "Them other two deputies're still here… you gonna ask 'em real nice to let us go?"

"Nope," Bo grinned. "You remember how it is with Brooke, Luke." He paused dramatically, before pulling the jail cell key out of his pocket. "It's all about who's got the key."

Luke could only stare incredulously at the key to the cell in Bo's hand as Cooter, Jesse, and Daisy all laughed gleefully. They might just get out of this yet.

Moving quickly and quietly, Bo unlocked the jail cell holding himself, Luke, Cooter, Jesse, and Rosco. As they all spilled out, he moved over to open Daisy's cell.

"Them cells ain't meant to hold five grown men," Cooter grumbled, glad to be out in the open again.

"Everyone, be quiet," Luke warned. "I know it's five against two, but don' forget they got guns. We gotta take 'em by surprise."

"You mean, it's _six_ against two," Daisy corrected him automatically. "I'm comin' too."

"Come on," Bo muttered, leading them up the stairs. Together, the group moved as one up the narrow stairwell, coming up to the floor level of the jail. Bo looked around cautiously, but the deputies were no where in sight.

"Wonder where they are?" Jesse said to no one in particular.

"Hey! How did y'all get out?"

Everyone spun around to see the stunned Billy and Marv standing in the doorway to a back hall. Fortunately for the Dukes, the deputies seemed to be just as surprised as they were themselves, and were still fumbling to retrieve the guns from their holsters.

Before Bo or Luke got a chance to move, another body shoved past them and charged full speed into the two deputies, knocking them down into a heap on the floor.

"Rosco!" Bo yelled as he and Cooter dove in to help him. Luke hobbled forward with the intent to join the fight but Jesse grabbed his arm.

"Now, Luke, you ain't gonna go scrappin' with that ankle of yours still bein' hurt," he said reprovingly. "'Sides, they're doin' fine."

Heaving a sigh, Luke stood with Daisy, both looking disappointed as Bo, Cooter, and Rosco wrestled to overpower Billy and Marv. As wild and random punches flew through the air, hitting everything in sight, Bo finally managed to get the upper hand on Billy and delivered him a punch to the stomach, knocking him over and out of the fight.

Cooter, meanwhile, had pulled Marv to his feet and was just about to knock him out when he was suddenly shoved out of the way to make room for Rosco to throw the punch himself. The Dukes watched in surprise as Marv fell to the ground.

"Good one, Rosco," Cooter congratulated him, taken aback by the unusual aggressiveness.

"That's for my dog!" Rosco yelled angrily, speaking for the first time in over two days, clutching his aching fist.

"Hold it, hold it, Rosco," Jesse said, putting a hand on Rosco's shoulder as the ex-sheriff moved in again on the floored deputies. "We've got 'em. Ya done good, but they've had enough now."

"Well Rosco?" Luke smiled, limping across the room. "Ain't ya gonna cuff 'em and stuff 'em?"

"Khee khee, I sure am," Rosco said, babbling incoherently, the twinkle back in his eye. "Alright you two. You just… hush! You hear me? Hush!"

"Looks like he's back to normal," Bo remarked, laughing. "There'll be a couple agents comin' to pick them up any time now. All that's left is for Brooke to bring Hughie in, whenever she's done playin' with him."

_Well friends and neighbors, Brooke's gonna take her sweet time 'fore she brings Hughie back. Reckon she thinks that lettin' him sit there and stew, not knowin' what's goin' on, is a bit of poetic justice. Looks like it's workin' too, cause ol' Hughie looks mighty uncomfortable to me._

Out at the second warehouse, Hughie and Brooke were still sitting in the tiny convertible. It had been almost two hours since they had left Hazzard. Brooke had watched in pleasure as Hughie, already nervous, became more and more agitated as time went by without a word from his deputies.

"Come on," Hughie muttered to himself, his patience wearing down.

"Hughie, you don't really think you're going to get out of this somehow, do you?" Brooke asked, slightly amused. Hughie was sweating, and his hands were becoming increasingly unsteady.

"Of course I'll get out of this," he snapped back at her. "They ain't gonna find no drugs by the time they get to Hazzard. My boys got 'em outta there in plenty of time."

"I don't know, Hughie, it seems like they would have been here by now. What if they didn't make it out in time?" Brooke asked casually, examining her hands.

"Then you're gonna get me out of Hazzard an' far away," Hughie answered, trying to sound threatening and tough. The effect was lost somewhat, due to the quavering in his voice. He knew as well as Brooke did that he didn't have the guts to hurt anyone himself.

He wasn't sure at all of himself anymore. Brooklyn was being far too casual, too calm, too smug. This wasn't acting. She definitely knew something he didn't, and it was making him nervous. Why hadn't Jack called in yet? Where WAS everyone?

"Where _are_ they?" he demanded out loud, his nerves getting the better of them.

Brooke turned slowly to face him with a vicious smile. "Isn't that such a horrible feeling?" she demanded quietly. "Don't you just feel like there's nothing worse than knowing that _something's_ gone wrong, only you don't know what, and there's no way to find anyone? Makes you feel kind of helpless, doesn't it Hughie? Doesn't feel good, does it? Anything could have happened, a thousand different things could have gone wrong. Someone could be dead, for all you know. And all you can do is sit here and wonder."

She leaned back in the seat, smiling obnoxiously. Hughie glared at her, mopping at his face with a handkerchief. He sat, trying to think things through. The radar in his head was beeping like crazy… something about the situation Brooklyn had put him in just wasn't right. But what was it?

"Why didja tell me?" he asked suddenly, sitting bolt upright in his seat. "Why didja tell me you'd called the FBI? I thought ya wanted the drugs yourself, but that wasn't it. So why would ya warn me they were comin' instead of just keepin' quiet and waitin'?"

"So you'd send all your boys out to the warehouse, trying to get rid of the evidence," Brooke answered him with a serene smile. "There were already four teams in place before I even got to your office. You ordered all those drug dealers right into their waiting hands."

Hughie stared at her. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't. Quickly, he grabbed the CB.

"Jack!" he yelled frantically. "Jack, come in! It's Hughie!" He paused and listened, but the only response was static silence. "Marv, Billy!" he yelled next, trying to reach anyone.

"Don't bother," Brooke said lazily, still leaned back comfortably in her seat. "The Dukes took care of them the second we pulled out of the jail. It's just you and me left, Hughie. It was all over an hour ago, but it seemed only fair to make you sweat a bit. You're under arrest, by the way."

With nothing else to do, Hughie jumped out of the car and tried in desperation to make a run for it. Without warning a gunshot echoed deafeningly as a bullet pierced the ground at his feet. Spinning back around, Hughie froze. Brooke wasn't smiling anymore, but had Rosco's pearl handled gun aimed directly at him.

"Well, I'm glad I threw this little thing into your car before giving you Bo," she said angrily. "Just where do you think you're going? You have some reckoning to do, Hughie Hogg. Let's go."

With no other options left, Hughie grudgingly got back in the car, and, at Brooke's prodding, began the long, slow drive back to town.

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When Hughie's convertible finally pulled back in to Hazzard square, the FBI had long since left with Marv and Billy. Cooter had already left to salvage the General, and Rosco had gone with the rest of the FBI agents to make sure Haynes got to Atlanta. This left the Dukes to stand around waiting anxiously for her to get back.

"There she is!" Daisy yelled, catching sight of the two. "She made it!"

"Boy, Hughie don't look too happy," Bo said with a smile. Their normally reserved friend was grinning ear to ear as she pulled Hughie out of the car and pushed him towards the Duke family.

"Yeah, but Brooke sure does," Luke noted. He winced as he shifted his weight slightly, putting pressure on his bad ankle. The second the two deputies had been subdued, Jesse had immediately called Doc Appleby to swing by and take care of it for him, though Luke was reluctant to resort to crutches in front of Brooke and had left them in the jail.

"Well," Brooke said as she approached, glancing around at her friends. "Looks like your part of the plan worked out alright."

"Sure did," Bo answered, grinning. "Them dealers and the other three deputies're already on their way to Atlanta. There's one more car left, waitin' on Hughie."

As they were talking, two uniformed agents headed up to them, tipping their hats to Daisy and Brooke.

"Agent Calloway?" one of them asked, addressing Brooke, who nodded and shook his hand.

"You got them all, then?" she asked.

"Nothing to it," the agent answered. "They came right to us, no resistance whatsoever once they found out they were surrounded. Director Cantrell wanted us to personally extend his thanks and congratulations on a job well done."

"Thanks," Brooke said, beaming. "But the credit goes to these fine people here," she added, gesturing at the Dukes. "I couldn't have done it without them."

Smiling and nodding at the others, the two agents reached forward to take Hughie into custody.

"Wait, I just have one question," Brooke said suddenly, hauling Hughie around to face her. "How did you figure out I wasn't on your side, when you sent your buddy Haynes after me?"

Hughie sneered. "Maybe you shouldn't have such an obvious CB handle, _Polaris,_" he spat at her. Nodding slightly, Brooke let the FBI agents put him in their car, but stood watching him with a face of confusion. Bo, Luke, and Daisy stood next to her, waving cheekily at Hughie as the car drove off.

"Well, reckon it's time for us to head home," Jesse mentioned as the agents' car drove out of sight. "Daisy, let's go. Boys," he said, turning to Bo and Luke. "Don't be too long, ya hear?"

"Yes sir, Uncle Jesse," Bo smiled, waving him off.

"What did Hughie mean by that?" Brooke asked, completely baffled as Daisy and Jesse disappeared.

Luke laughed. "Well, come on Brooke. Polaris? North star? It does kinda fit a Yankee deputy, dontcha think? Don't fit no one else around here, that's for sure."

Brooke stared at him, gasping. "I never thought of it that way," she said with a smile. "It _does_ fit like that doesn't it?"

"Why didja call yourself Polaris if'n ya didn't know what it meant?" Bo asked with a laugh.

"It's my nickname," Brooke answered shrugging. "It's what my dad used to call me. As a joke." She stopped, seeing the boys' confused faces. "Polaris. It's the star they used to use for navigation. When you get lost, Polaris is like a compass, it shows you which way is north. I get lost really easily… he was making fun of me."

Bo still looked a little mystified, but Luke laughed heartily. They all stood quietly for a minute, basking in the peace that had finally settled over Hazzard's town square. Finally, Brooke broke the silence with a large yawn.

"Well, I guess that answers all my questions, anyways" she said with a sigh, swinging an arm across the shoulder of either boy. "I'm going home to get some sleep. See you around, guys."

Letting go, Brooke headed off for her car and drove off out of sight. Bo and Luke stood waving at her, watching her go. Without the General to drive home in, they headed over to Cooter's to borrow a car.

"Answers all _her_ questions, maybe," Bo said grinning. "But seems to me like we got us one more question that still needs an answer, don' we cuz?"

"Give it up, Bo," Luke said, shoving his cousin playfully. "Ya know she likes me better."

"We'll see about that, Luke," Bo shot back, squinting at Luke. He chuckled, remembering the way Brooke had kissed him. "We'll just see about that."

_Well, looks to me like this story is just about over. But Bo's right…they still got that one last question that's gonna have to be taken care of. Reckon you know what I mean. Stick around y'all, we ain't through just yet.

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A/N: Hmm... so, it's time to weigh in everyone! Which of our beloved boys do you think it should be? I already know, of course, but I'm interested in what everyone else thinks... cause that WOULD be a really hard choice! Send me reviews, guys, let me know what you think!_


	14. Epilogue

_A/N: Here's a big thank you going out to everyone who's stuck with this story and took the ten seconds it takes to write a review! And please, be sure to leave reviews for this last part too, will ya? I take good or bad reviews, but any comments at all are always helpful to a writer. I hope y'all enjoy reading the epilogue as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

_Disclaimer: I lay no claim to the Dukes. They ain't mine._

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Epilogue

By the end of the summer, things were slowly turning back to normal. With Hughie gone and no longer able to bully shop owners and jail the citizens, the economy leveled itself out, and Jesse was able to save up enough money to pay the mortgage on time. The first thing they were sure to do, of course, was to hold a memorial for Flash… and Rosco wasn't the only one to cry through the entire burial.

Brooke disappeared again, but it was only to settle some accounts. She returned a few days later, announcing that she had left New York for good and was staying in Hazzard County. Rosco didn't hesitate to inform her that as long as he was sheriff, she would always have a job working as a deputy (an arrangement which stunned and horrified Boss Hogg when he returned to find her there again). Again, Brooke was pretty sure this had less to do with her abilities, and more to do with Rosco wanting to spite Boss Hogg… despite the fact that Brooke had explained to him how Hughie was never intended to be in charge.

Rosco himself had also returned to as close to normal as he ever had been (which wasn't very close). Even though he was only in charge of Hazzard for less than two months before Boss Hogg got back from his penance in Atlanta, the sheriff did a surprisingly good job. It didn't hurt that he was inclined to be friendly with the Dukes for a while; on his first day back to work, the Dukes, Brooke, and Cooter had showed up and presented him with a tiny beagle puppy which the overjoyed Rosco had affectionately named Flash Jr.

Luke's ankle healed quickly, but he and Bo had to suffer for nearly an entire week without the use of the General Lee. Cooter made fixing him up his first priority, of course, but it was the worst he had ever seen the poor General. It took a few rather expensive operations, but these were paid for by Brooke as a thanks to Bo for saving her life.

Enos and Cletus both got back from their vacation, which, added to Brooke, meant that there was a full law enforcement department again. Since Rosco was so busy with his 'Boss duties', he offered the temporary sheriff position to Brooke, who graciously passed it instead to Enos, in deference to his seniority. With Enos running the sheriff department, the citizens of Hazzard were graced with almost two entire months of freedom from phony traffic citations, which did a lot to improve their morale from the previous month of Hughie's management.

So it was that three days after Boss Hogg had returned, Rosco was back to being sheriff, the town had regained its southern charm, and Bo, Luke, and Cooter were charging down the road in the General Lee on the way to the Boar's Nest for a round of cold beer.

"Cooter, buddy," Luke said with a grin as he flipped through his nearly empty wallet. "Ain't it your turn to buy this time?"

"Luke, I hope you ain't sayin' you ain't got any money," Bo commented, leaping over a bump in the road. "Don't forget, ten bucks to whichever one of us Brooke likes best. And it's gonna be me."

"Give it up, Bo," Luke said smugly, yet again. "You know Brooke don't wanna go out with ya, or she wouldn' keep refusin' ya to take her dancin'."

"Well I notice she ain't seein' you yet, either!" Bo shot back. "She ain't goin' with no one right now."

"We oughtta take Daisy's advice," Luke pointed out thoughtfully. "She ain't said nothin' to either one of us, maybe we should just ask her who she likes best next time we see her."

"In that case," Cooter interrupted, watching out the back window. "Looks like y'all ain't gonna be waitin' long to find out."

"I don't believe it," Bo groaned, catching a glimpse of the flashing lights from the patrol car in the mirror. "She ain't really gonna start givin' us tickets now, is she?"

"Nah," Luke answered, also watching the deputy from the window. "She's got the gumballs rollin', but ain't no siren. She don't wanna pull us over, she wants to race ya, Bo."

"Alright then, cuz," Bo chuckled. "Let's show that city girl what the General can do! Yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaw!" As he slammed his foot on the gas, General Lee shot forward down the road.

Back in her own car, Brooke smiled gleefully and took off after him, suddenly understanding why the Duke boys loved to race so much as the adrenaline rush kicked in. Together, they sped towards the Boar's Nest, neck to neck.

"Bo, lettin' her win ain't gonna impress no one!" Luke teased him as their friend managed to nudge ahead slightly, the Boar's Nest in sight.

"I ain't lettin' no one win!" Bo protested. "She ain't bad for a Yankee. But she ain't as good as me," he added with a mischievous smile. Pushing the gas pedal all the way down to the floor, Bo spun slightly on the dirt road, swinging the back end of the General around so that he didn't have to brake to make the turn into the Boar's Nest parking lot. Still not being accustomed to dirt roads, Brooke couldn't spin out the way Bo had and was forced to slam on her brakes to make way for the General.

The two cars screeched up to the front door of the Boar's Nest and pulled to a halt. All four friends were laughing as they climbed out of their cars.

"Good racin', girl!" Cooter called as Brooke stalked up to them, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"You cheated," she complained, squinting up at Bo.

"I did not," Bo argued, hoisting himself up onto the General's hood. "You ain't half bad though. I bet I can teach ya to drive like anythin'."

"You wanna come have a drink, Brooke?" Luke cut in quickly, annoyed that Brooke was now beaming happily at his cousin. Brooke turned her smile towards him instead (much to Bo's displeasure), but shook her head.

"I can't, Luke, I'm on duty. Maybe later though, okay?"

There was a pause, and the two Dukes looked at each other knowingly. Bo nodded and turned to Brooke.

"So, Brooke," he said with a grin. "The summer's just about over and I sure could use ten bucks. Tell us... who was it that ya come back to Hazzard for anyhow? Me, or Luke?"

Brooke glanced from one to the other, trying to figure out whether or not they were joking. The boys leaned in closely, waiting in expectation. Brooke's jaw dropped and she stared at them incredulously as she realized they were serious.

"Tell me," she said while shaking her head. "_Tell_ me you haven't been fighting about that the whole time I've been back."

The happy faces on both Dukes fell. "Whaddya mean?" Luke asked, slightly hurt. It wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. Brooke folded her arms and smirked.

"You two have bigger egos than anyone I've ever met! What on earth makes you so sure it was either one of you two?"

"You said it was!"

"No, I didn't!" Brooke argued, laughing. "I just said _somebody_. Geez, guys!"

"Well…Hazzard ain't that big …who else _is_ there?" Bo asked in confusion. He turned to Luke, who shrugged, equally perplexed. Neither one of them noticed as Brooke turned slightly pink and she chewed on her bottom lip, her beautiful gray eyes flicking shyly over to rest on Cooter. The mechanic caught her gaze, and his own eyes widened in disbelieving surprise. They both smiled – Brooke, a small, subtle raising of the corner, and Cooter, a whole-hearted, ear-to-ear grin of pleasure.

"You boys have a nice day, alright?" Brooke said, still smiling as she got back into her car and drove away. Bo and Luke still looked mystified, especially when they turned to look at their friend.

"Now what're _you_ laughin' at?" Luke asked crossly, pounding the top of General Lee. "I don't see nothin' funny about that at all. What're you so happy about?"

"Nothin', buddyroes," Cooter answered, not able to contain his laughter. "Come on, let's get a drink. Y'all are buyin'."

"Why are we buyin'?" Bo complained as they walked up to the entrance of the Boar's Nest. Cooter stopped, his hand on the doorknob, and turned to face them.

"Cause y'all owe me ten bucks," he said matter-of-factly. With a spring in his step, Cooter headed into the noisy bar, leaving both Dukes stunned, mouths agape and frozen in place under the brilliant end-of-summer sun shining on the dusty ground of Georgia.

_Well I'll be. Reckon ol' Bo an' Luke weren't expectin' that! Course, around here, soon's you think you know what's comin', you don't know nothin'. But here in Hazzard County, that's just the way they like it. Y'all come back now, ya hear?_

**_The End_**

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A/N: You know what to do now! Tell me if you enjoyed (or didn't)! Thank you so so so much!_


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